Page 20 of Embraced By the Orc
Relief flooded through me, giving me the strength for one final push. I unleashed a barrage of energy bolts down the corridor, forcing the Vorash to take cover. Then I turned and sprinted back to the hidden chamber.
Rayna was at the ship's entrance, her hand outstretched towards me. The vessel hummed with power, its hull glowing with an inner light that pulsed like a heartbeat.
"Come on!" she urged, her eyes wide with a mix of fear and exhilaration.
I didn't need to be told twice. I crossed the chamber in a few long strides, grasping Rayna's hand as I leapt into the ship. The moment I was inside, the entrance sealed behind me with a soft whoosh.
I followed my little warrior to the front of the small ship, each of us taking a seat at a control panel. As soon as my ass hit the chair, straps reached out, holding us into place. I didn’t like not being in control, but I didn’t know how to fly a ship, so I held my tongue.
"Hang on," Rayna said, her fingers flying over the ship's controls. "This could get bumpy."
The ship rose smoothly, hovering in the center of the chamber. For a moment, I feared we were trapped, but then the ceiling began to iris open, revealing the alien sky above.
We shot upwards, the acceleration pushing me back into my seat. Through the ship's viewscreen, I watched as the outpost rapidly shrank beneath us. Energy bolts from Vorash weapons lanced past us, but Rayna's piloting was erratic and unpredictable, making us a difficult target.
Higher and higher we climbed, the sky darkening from lavender to deep purple to the inky black of space. The twin moons of the alien world grew larger in our view, then fell away as we left the planet's atmosphere behind.
Only when the planet was a rapidly shrinking orb behind us did I allow myself to relax. We had done it. We were free.
I turned to Rayna, seeing my own mix of disbelief and joy mirrored in her face. The straps which had fastened us to our seats slid away as the ship’s gravity kicked in. Without a word, I pulled her into my arms, holding her close as the reality of our escape washed over us.
"We did it," she whispered against my chest, her voice thick with emotion. "We actually did it."
I chuckled, the sound rumbling through both of us. "Was there ever any doubt, little warrior?"
Rayna leaned back, looking up at me with a raised eyebrow. "Oh, there were plenty of doubts. But we overcame them. Together."
"Together," I agreed, leaning down to press a gentle kiss to her forehead.
As we settled into the ship's strange but comfortable seats, the vast expanse of space stretching out before us, I felt a sense of peace I hadn't known in years. Yet, there was also uncertainty. We were free, yes, but where would we go? What would we do?
As if reading my thoughts, Rayna reached out and took my hand. "So," she said, a hint of excitement in her voice, "where to now?"
I looked at her, this remarkable human who had changed my life in ways I was only beginning to understand. Then I looked out at the star-filled void before us, teeming with possibilities.
"Wherever we choose," I said, feeling a smile spread across my face. "The universe is ours to explore."
Rayna's answering smile was brighter than any star. As we set a course into the unknown, I knew that whatever challenges lay ahead, we would face them as we had faced everything else.
Together.
