Page 90 of When Eden Falls

Noticing the warriors at our rear gaining ground, I marched away forcing his hand to fall from my arm. But he appeared at my side in a heartbeat. “Come back to the fortress with me.”

“No.”

“You must.”

“No!”

“Eden, this is ridiculous. If you continue to follow your commander, youwilldie.”

A plume of dust rose from the ground as I jolted to a stop. Looking up at him, moisture prickled at the back of my eyes. A part of me knew he was right. But what choice did we have? We were grounded on an alien planet. We wanted to go home. Wasthat not worth fighting for?

Dybgo’s tone softened to a whisper, “I am begging you…come back with me.”

“What, so you can make me your wife?”

“Wife is a dull, human term.”

I groaned in exasperation, aiming to continue walking, but he pulled me back, prompting me to witness the sincerity in his eyes. “If you come back with me, I will treat you like a goddess. I will worship you. Honour every choice you make. Protect you. Love you.”

Completely lost in the romanticism of his words, I stared at him. How was this possible? What was it about me he found so enticing? Yes, we were similar, but we were different species with different principles and values. But I couldn’t deny his words felt guileless, his expression full of sincerity. I had no doubt he would love me fiercely, but for how long? I didn’t know his agenda. For all I knew we were pawns in a game Havav was playing.

Slowly, I shook my head. “I said no.” Dropping my gaze, I marched away.

“Why?”

I ignored the growl of command in his voice, picking up my pace.

“Eden, why? Tell me why!”

Concerned Rooke may somehow hear him from up ahead, I swung round, halting Dybgo’s outburst. “Because I don’t trust you!”

He looked taken aback. “Is…is this about the Tektrasc incident?”

“No!”

“Then explain!”

“Explain?” I looked him square in the face. “I. Stupidly. Trusted. You! Believing you were my friend, a man of honour. But you lied to me about everything! If you had told me about the full extent of the Igknamai’s capabilities when I asked, when I was literally pleading for knowledge, we wouldn’t be here right now, acting on desperation and hope, rather than practicality.”

“I never intended to lie to you. I had my orders.”

I huffed, pitying how shackled he was to Havav. “Even you have a choice, Dybgo. Even you.”

He seemed to accept my outburst, allowing me to finally place some distance between us. But as my feet stamped across the baren soil, I drowned in the realisation I was a hypocrite. I had withheld information from the crew about Troy because I, too, was following orders. Perhaps Dybgo and I were as similar as he had implied.

Glancing over my shoulder, he was back walking amongst his warriors again. From under his eyebrows, he silently pleaded with me. My place wasn’t with him. My family was the crew…and Rooke. They weremychoice.

Sickened by the feeling of disrepute gnawing away at my conscious, I caught up with Cora. Catching her hand, I cocooned it in my own. She looked up at me with puffy eyes and gave me a forlorn, yet grateful smile.

“Are you okay?” I asked, shamefully for the first time since we left the fortress.

She gently shrugged her shoulders. “I just…I just hope…Troy’s alright.”

I felt myself frown intensely. “So do I.”

We continued up the incline, leaving the sparkling lake far below us. I could sense Cora overthinking, occasionally fighting the urge to cry. I asked her geology questions, hoping it would take her mind off the situation. It worked for a time, until she said, shifting her eyes skywards, “I don’t know about you, but I feel like we’re being watched.”

I peered up at the enormous trees surrounding us and her comment sent a cold shiver down my spine. The red-brown bark contrasted against the green leaves fluttering high above. The trees were far taller than I’d realised. Far bigger than any I’d ever seen before. The trunks were as wide as some of the Akquarian boats, at least five metres in diameter. The thickness of the foliage high overhead was dense. Any creature, big or small, could be propped on one of those branches, in amongst the leaves, spying on us. Thethought made my body go rigid and I tightened my hold on Cora’s hand. “Come on, let’s catch up with the others.”