Page 19 of Hope Forged
The fish, root cakes, and yummyberry juice were good; far better than rehydrator fare. He ate out of curiosity and not from hunger. This was what she’d lived on for so long, and here, he couldn’t imagine going without his recent addiction—chocolate.
As nature’s sounds altered to nighttime, he wondered what Iddan was up to. Having ended their mindfusion, Illan hadn’t expected he’d miss his brother’s thoughts in his head.
He tried not to watch Ziamee, but he found her fascinating. She’d said she’d been there at least a decade. She spoke of her father, but no sadness laced her voice. The yearning gaze at the horizon showed confusion or being lost in thought, not sorrow. Although, her father could’ve died years ago.
The pile of raw fish attracting insects didn’t reflect well on a hygienic home. The rock she’d gutted the fish on had appeared clean, though. Not that he was concerned when he’d survived weeks on a Yithian M-class slave ship.
And yet, despite the stunning scenery, her home was as much a prison as the cold confines of his cell had been. He smothered a smile. Her food was far better than Yithian protein packets.
She didn’t fill the space between them with inane chatter. He was half-tempted to fuse their minds… Doing so would answer all his questions, but when he made no move to do so, he realized he liked the mystery surrounding her.
Washing her hands in a separate container, she dried her fingers by running them up and down her thighs, wincing when she brushed her right leg. She made no sound until she stood in the center of the camp, leaned back, and yodeled. He jerked back, almost toppling over.
An animalistic roar responded, its cry distant.
“Well, seems he’s busy,” she said, sweeping her gaze west. “Come, let us find you a spot to sleep.”
He rose, stretched, then rubbed his belly as lassitude settled upon him. What he’d seen of the interior hadn’t revealed many doors. Yet, he trailed her inside. The pallet in the corner was messier, more used. He glanced at the bigger bed closest to the ‘entrance’ that looked like it hadn’t been used in a while.
“The waste disposal is outside,” she said. “Mine, Padya’s, and you’re here.” She stepped aside when a solid door whined open.
The dead console stated the space’s purpose. A chunk of rock pierced the forevids, splitting them and letting in a sliver of moonlight.
“Oz, lock the head.”
He swiveled, then grinned at finding himself trapped. She was ingenious and consistent. At least she’d fed him and hadn’t left him to be devoured by nighttime predators. Did they even exist? Her fear and traps said they did. He studied the hard floor and grimaced.
With a tap of his O.D.I., he said, “Ulta, one to port.”
“Port? What happened to the kuta?” The male’s voice came through clearer than Illan had expected.
“Gone.” Illan appeared in theCeleeri’scomm with the pilot, Ulta, gaping at him.
“King Xeus loans you his state-of-the-art scimitar and kuta, and it is gone?”
“Sank.” Illan shrugged. “We should have scanned the terrain before assuming it was safe to land.”
“What?” Ulta squeaked. “We?”
“On a happier note, I found the source of the beacon.”
“That was fast.” Ulta released a slow breath. “We can leave? Sans kuta, of course.”
“You can retrieve it if you can get it out of the sinking sand.”
Ulta jerked back. “You submerged it?” He glared. ‘If you were not a Durn…”
Illan chuckled. “You would do what?”
When Ulta didn’t answer, Illan laughed and headed to the common. What he needed was a hot cocoa.
With the sweet beverage in hand, he sank onto the nearby bench to mull over the day. Ziamee, no doubt, thought him trapped, a quiet prisoner. He grinned, strangely liking this female. She tried so hard to be tough—she was in many ways like Quin. Strong and capable on the outside, kind, attentive, caring on the inside. Would Ziamee have that same streak of courage and honor?
A truly merciless female would have left him to die.
He planned to cleanse and sleep in comfort, then he’d have Ulta port him back to the ‘cell.’ Hopefully, Ziamee would stay none the wiser although he was curious how she’d react if she did find him gone.
Chapter Six
