Page 51 of Hope Forged
“But—” Ziamee bit her lip.
“I will be fine,” he said, kissing her temple.
The only spot clear enough for a kuta to land was alongside a river. When Illan followed Brac out, he grinned at his booted feet, grateful he’d taken the time to change. He’d insisted they wear their armor, even ensuring Ziamee wore it, too.
The kuta shot up, the bottom of it showing not a scratch from the sandpits. As expected of Maloidian steel.
“We head this way.” Brac pointed west, hieroglyphics from his O.D.I. showing a contour map.
“Scanning that area now,” Ulta said.
Brac set a grueling pace. Illan holstered his blaster and palmed his dagger, slapping yellow fronds aside as he trailed the Etterian. The male wasn’t even short of breath. Illan gritted his teeth and forged onward. He’d neglected his body of late, intent on sorting through the Etterian archives on Durn culture that would, no doubt, take him decades. And now, that inattention would cost him.
The high trees, like elongated mushrooms, shielded them from the sunlight and cooled the air at their base. With sweat coating his skin, he relished the dip in temperature.
“What do you expect to find?” he asked Brac when they paused beside a large boulder to get their bearings.
“A ship?” Brac frowned. “Someone not from this world.”
“I would like to know why they took her.” Illan swept out his arm. “She had no way of leaving that plateau. What harm did she pose?”
“Perhaps just her presence was cause enough,” Brac said, gazing at their surroundings.
Illan bolted after the male, his mind sifting through his logical words worthy of a Durn. He should’ve come to that conclusion first. His focus had been off since meeting Ziamee. Would it remain so? Now, as he headed into the depths of the jungle, he couldn’t drag her out of his thoughts. He was starting to realize,offworld without her or on world with her would make no difference. The Illan he was before landing on Vora was no more.
“A door,” Brac whispered, crouching behind a tree.
Illan peered around him at a modern structure in Maloidian steel emerging from the ground. It had a pathway leading to an arched doorway, both not covered with vegetation. A light flashed around the door, proving it had power or was in use.
“I thought this planet was uninhabited,” Brac said, a scowl furrowing his brow.
“I see it,” Ulta said. “According to the archives, this is ancient.”
“It does not look it,” Illan said, sheathing his dagger and unholstering his blaster. “What manner of structure is it? Research?”
“I would hazard a guess if I answer,” Ulta said. “According to the schematics, these types of entrances were used for facilities that went levels down.”
“The only way to find out is to enter,” Brac said. “Shall we?”
“Indeed,” Illan said and hurried toward it but paused at the edge of the pathway. “It concerns me that nothing has grown over this.” He dug out a pebble stuck to his boot heel and tossed it onto the flat steel.
In a flash of white, it vaporized.
“Not a nice welcome,” Brac said, offering Illan a smile.
Illan activated his O.D.I. and scanned the area. “A panel should be to the side of the door, except, we need to walk on this to reach it.”
“Blasting it will forewarn them of our presence.”
“No other choice.” Illan aimed and fired.
Sparks formed, then faded into a square to the right of the door.
Brac tossed in a twig and scowled when it vanished a foot above the platform. Without blinking, he drew his dagger andthrew it, hitting the hidden panel. The dagger was buried to its hilt.
The door opened.
Brac dropped a leaf onto the pathway. It floated to a standstill, bold orange against the dark metal. “We best hurry,” he said.
