Page 33 of Stealing the Star Stone

Chapter Twenty-Three

The moon, Lethara

Leaving Vael’Tir.

Onto the back of a beast and into the darkness of hope.

Day Five.

Eli slid onto a great beast. The girl had led a yuxmet to stacked bales, allowing him to mount with ease.

It brayed, sticking out a purple tongue with drool dripping off.

He’d ridden worse—all sorts of earthly animals cosmetically altered to resemble ‘alien’ creatures.

The most interesting had been an animatronics that had moved with surprising agility.

As an actor, his job was to bring a character to life. All the props helped to fully realize the role he had to play. And for that, he was grateful. Layers of a mask was how he saw it.

“Sword fighting and bareback riding? What else can you do?” Nova gritted her teeth and accepted the reins.

What followed was a comedy of errors since she didn’t know to swing her leg, to hook her hand in the mane or reins, to hoist herself up and over. In the end, the poor girl and Zal had their hands on her ass to shove her on.

Eli cried he was laughing so much, but he knew better than to make a sound. She’d skin him alive.

He was sniveling by the time the pack of yuxmets cantered toward the lake in the direction of the island. Nova muttered curses and threats they all ignored, especially the yuxmet she was riding.

Zal paused at the waves lapping the bank, the last of the cobbles fading into sand beneath the yuxmets’ three-toed feet.

He slumped, his hand on his hip, gazing over the rippling water kissed by moonlight.

A cool breeze toyed with Eli’s braids. The stench wafting off the yuxmets was becoming more bearable. Or it had killed his sense of smell.

Nova kept glancing over her shoulder, no doubt expecting Orien to charge after them. They were so close to being their normal selves again. Perhaps, by this time tomorrow, all would be as it was.

He frowned. With Nova ‘hating’ him, and he in love with her? No, his life… he had changed.

The seconds became minutes. The yuxmets shuffled, grumbling about standing motionless. In their place, he’d do the same.

“We wait,” Zal said into the silence. A pat of his ride’s rump drew a wail from the beleaguered yuxmet that echoed into the night.

“Is it just me or is this madness?” Nova leaned in to whisper, then almost toppled off the side. Once she righted herself, she sat like a plank of wood, her arms stiff, her lips pursed.

“We don’t have a choice,” Eli said. “We need another stone. And if, as Amenkar said, they have to like each other, the temple’s stone might not be the right one.”

Her shoulders relaxed for a moment, then she teetered, yelped, and stiffened again. “Fine. Argh. We have four days left. We can’t afford to waste time.”

He met her gaze. “See. No choice.”

She frowned, wiggled the bag over her lap, then palmed the blaster strapped to her thigh. “Why are we waiting then? Where’s a boat?”

“Not needed,” Zal said, pointing at the submoon.

“Right,” she mouthed at Eli.

He grinned. The yuxmet shifted beneath him, bumping into hers.

“Quiet,” Zal snapped.

The pack stilled, even Eli’s heart skipped a beat. The water shimmered, swished, then before them, a narrow, cobbled path appeared.

“Go,” Zal called, and as one, the yuxmets lurched forward.

They cantered like thundering elephants along what looked like slippery stones. The wind whipped Eli’s hair back, and laughter bubbled out.

“Zeet, zeet,” Zal called, spurring his yuxmet on with a wild bray.

They clambered onto the island’s shore, wet sucking noises following the Yuxmets’ footprints. Zal drew his ride to a halt and leaped off. “We will wait here. You have three hours before the tide returns.”

Eli whipped his gaze along the farthest shore, trying to see the ocean. A lake had minimal tidal forces, but a lagoon…

“My thanks, Zal,” Nova said, dismounting her yuxmet like a lump of soft butter off a knife.

“At the center of the island is a gate.”

Nova adjusted the bag, then raised her hands, offering to help Eli down. He caught her shoulders, and when she gripped his waist, he was airborne. For that second, she was his anchor, his world. Then his feet touched down, and she stepped back, unknowing that her touch had scorched him.

Something about her expression triggered a vision. Nova in a white gown flashed across his mind. She was admiring herself in a mirror, joy in the bloom on her cheeks. The ceremony came into focus, the guests few, but the man waiting at the altar seemed familiar.

Eli caught her hand, stopping her from moving away.

“What is it?” she asked, peering into his eyes.

“Seth… Did he have a mole on the top of his cheek?”

She blinked then a slow smile formed. “He wanted to have it remove. Why do you ask?”

“Y’know, memories,” he said.

When she opened her mouth, no doubt to ask him a question or two, he ushered her toward Zal, who held out the star stone.

“Thanks for the escort, Zal,” she said, taking the time to check the weapons were loaded while Eli shoved the stone into the bag on her back.

Zal gave her a tight bow. “May Lethaar guide you.”

They followed the trail, clear in the moonlight. The air was crisp, summoning a shiver or it could be from the gaping entrance ahead. He pulled his coat tighter. A craving for tea struck, and he swallowed, blaming the chill. Something hot in his belly wouldn’t go amiss.

Movement drew his attention. Nova had half-emptied a bottle of water.

At that rate, she’d need to pee soon. He grinned.

Easier for her than for him. He’d just learned how to squat and not drench his feet, but accidents still happened.

If they didn’t find a stone, he’d have plenty of time to get better at it.

The pathway dipped, carrying them into shadows lined with black pillars and thousands of glowing names. He stroked one, wishing Zal had come with to explain their significance.

The wind ceased. The chirping and whirring of insects calmed, almost as if the surroundings took a breath. He peered over his shoulder, casting one last glance at the scattered submoon.

Lord, please let this be the last adventure.

He faced forward and scurried after Nova who’d created too much distance between them. The darkness engulfed him, forcing him to blink to adjust his vision. When her form appeared, he realized she’d stopped.

“What is it?” he asked, pausing behind her.

Before her gaped a chasm with nothing more than a rotten rope-bridge. One anchor had broken free from the rocky wall.

“Can we jump it?” He knew the answer to that without having her confirm it. Maybe in his old body he might have made it. “I’ll go across first,” he offered.

Tightrope walking, balancing on window ledges, on the backs of horses, hovers, or antique motorcycles were all part of his skill sets as an actor.

“Whether you go first or I do makes no difference. I’m not crossing that.”

He studied her face in the blue flickering light of the torches. Her eyes were wide, her lips pinched.

“We have to try.” He grabbed her by the hips and tugged her back. “Take the bag. Toss it over when I reach the other side.”

“Eli.” She caught his hand. “Please… Be careful.”

He flashed her a smirk. “I’m lighter than you, so this should be easy. Want me to go ahead and see what else is waiting for us?”

“No,” she said, lifting her chin. “Let’s tackle this one hurdle at a time.”

“I could throw you across,” he teased.

“Don’t you dare,” she snapped. “Neanderthal.” Her lips twitched with a suppressed smile.

“Okay, here goes.” He wrapped his fingers around the thick rope that formed the railing. It had a decent heftiness to it. Then with a careful step, he placed one foot on the braided rope that formed the spine of the bridge at the base of a ‘V.’

It creaked under his weight. He sucked in a breath, took another wobbly step, then exhaled when the rope held. His other hand he stretched out in a stupid attempt to help balance better.

Nova stayed silent, probably holding her breath. He grinned, finding her too adorable for words. Inch by inch, he crossed. Midway, he peered past his feet to the chasm below, half expecting giant alligators to be snapping in eagerness. Instead, he caught glimpses of frothy waves hitting boulders.

The nearer he got to the other side, the more he wished he had another railing to cling to. The bridge had taken to swaying. Perhaps he was moving too fast? But he didn’t want to slow, not when he was almost there.

He touched down on the stone ledge and let the tension ease from his shoulders. “Right, Nova-honey, your turn.”

She blinked at him while running her palms up and down her thighs. “I don’t know, Eli.”

“You only have to do this twice in your life then never again.”

“Twice?” she squeaked.

“Yeah, once to the stone then back to Zal.” He beckoned at her. “Come. You’re in my body and stronger than you realize. If the rope breaks, just hold on and I’ll pull you up.”

She harumphed. “So not helpful.” And yet, she grasped onto the railing.

“Don’t look down. Keep your focus on me and your feet.”

She placed her foot with care. The rope creaked but didn’t groan. When she took another step, he praised her, offering her words of encouragement, though if later questioned, he wouldn’t be able to state what he’d said.

What mattered now were the right sounds. Still, at midway, she halted and did as he had, staring at the bottom and at what awaited any poor soul who fell.

“I can’t do this,” she whined, her body stiff. She’d twisted to grip the railing with both hands.

“Nova,” he said, “Take one more for me. Please. Just one more.”

She met his gaze and wormed forward. Not quite what he’d meant, but she’d made progress.

“Another,” he said.