Dark's Savior (Dark World Mates Book 2), page 20
His hand tightened in hers then released it. "Maybe that's why I should tell you that I care about you. But I get that what happened on the ship between us was enough. I understand if you don't feel the same way."
Aly closed her eyes then opened them slowly. "I care about you, too. But as a friend."
She saw him nod. "I had a feeling," he said. "And you know what...it's okay. I'm glad to be just your friend."
Aly's throat suddenly tightened. She looked back at him, and for a brief second, wished she felt for him like he did for her. Truly wished it. Because that would make everything so much easier.
But no, she was in love with a man from another world. Who wouldn't even touch her.
She leaned in and hugged Mark, and he did the same.
They talked for a little while longer, until the rain started to fall harder.
"Let's get back before the rain gets worse," Mark said, starting to stand. He offered his hand, and she took it, standing up with him.
They walked together back to their hub. Before they reached the door that led into the hall attached to their units, Mark stopped her. "It's going to be okay, Aly," he said. "Whatever happens, it's going to all right." He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. Aly didn't mind. She smiled back at him, thankful.
***
Ryziel watched the pair from the edge of a stairway. He'd waited several days to come above, only to check on Aly, just to make sure she was safe. Or so he told himself. He'd been working harder than ever within the Keep, the last few days spent working through the night and rarely even returning to the lair. If anything crossed his path between the Keep and home, he made sure they regretted it. With the scent of nyghi blood still permeating the air and with him stalking the Keep in a dark mood, most living things stayed far away. Xilya came down many times with him but never stayed for more than her shift.
After he returned, he barely spoke. Not even to Nar. He went to his room and tried to meditate, and when he couldn't do that, he worked on the ship. Neither Xilya nor Nar said a word, though they knew something had happened and that it had affected him in some way. Even Xilya knew it was best to let him be.
When the fifth day had come since Aly left, he began to grow restless. But it only made him work more. It wasn't until Nar found him sleeping on top of the ship that he told Ryziel he should take a break. Ryziel did but only to go stalking through the caves at the bottom of the mine. Climbing down stairways and passing through tunnels, not thinking where he was going, just moving. Eventually, his travels brought him to discover a sluth nest. He destroyed it and a few of the stragglers, tearing his way through it until there was nothing left.
On the seventh day, a report went out on the forum that another body had been found. Nar had a mind to ask an urk cousin if there was any similar trouble in the dens, to which he replied back that there wasn't but that there were rumors going around as to what it might be. This was the final tipping point for Ryziel, and so, on the eighth day, he went looking for Aly.
And he found her with another human. The one that he had first thought to be her mate but had quickly discarded the notion when he saw how little time they spent together and how her attention had been focused elsewhere. Still, seeing the man touch his mouth to her again didn't make him feel any better. Because, though they might not be mates, the intimate gesture could mean they were courting. And that definitely didn't make him feel better.
But she wasn't his. Though his brother might tell him otherwise, he couldn't make her his. Because he was a cold-hearted bastard, and if he tried to stop her from being with another, after everything he had said to her, then he was a selfish one too. It wasn't fair to her, and he knew it.
So, though his Drega trembled, wanting him to rush forward and clock the man out of the way for touching her, the part of him he could still control said to just back away and be thankful she was safe. Even if leaving hurt.
He made his way silently back down, his mind like the storm clouds high above, when his techband went off. He stilled on the stair and saw it was Nar.
"What is it?" he answered, not too nicely.
"Nihl's hide, Ryziel, get back down here quick." The urk sounded breathless, excited. "Xilya is coming too. You both need to see this."
"What is it?" he repeated.
"Ionx," Nar said. "We've found it."
Chapter Twenty-two
Ryziel entered the lair and saw Xilya already there, talking with Nar beside the console.
"Where?" he said, his heart still racing after flying down the stairs. Xilya moved to the side so Ryziel could see the map.
"Below Yurza's Keep. Literally right below it, in fact," Nar said. He pointed at the map below the area of the Keep, where tight clusters of yellow dots showed bright. And not just yellow clusters but blue and green ones also. All the minerals they would need, ready for the taking.
Ryziel stared at them with a tight frown. "That's...impossible. We've looked all through and around that area. How could we have missed this?"
"The tracer somehow missed a hidden passage here." Nar pointed at a section just past a tunnel, where a narrow opening could be seen. "It was well-hidden too. If the tracer didn't pick it up the first or second time, something must have been blocking it."
"And whatever was blocking it," Xilya continued, "wasn't doing so when the tracer was searching for a third time."
Ryziel glanced at them both and then back at the map. "Are you saying you think someone or something is intentionally keeping it hidden?"
"That's exactly what I think," Nar said. " In fact, if you notice how the minerals are clustered in a pattern, not scattered like the others were, that shows us that they aren't just sitting in the rock like that naturally. They are being stocked."
"Stocked." Ryziel's eyes narrowed. "As in..."
"Someone or something is hoarding them," Xilya said.
They each studied the map, not speaking as their minds turned over this alarming piece of information.
"Whatever it is, it's smart," Nar stated, breaking the silence. "Real smart."
"It can't be any of the miners, could it?" Xilya asked.
Ryziel crossed his arms. "No, they likely wouldn't have survived long enough to hoard that much, and we certainly would have seen someone or at least traces of someone by now."
"How about one of your kind, Nar?"
Nar shook his head. "No way. I might be out of the dens, but even I would have heard about it. And that would have taken a lot of urks. No way that would have been kept secret, and they wouldn't go hoarding it away from the dens, especially so far from them."
Ryziel stared at the map, thinking. "Then it is something from the Keep or far below. Something that has been down there for a long time."
"Great," Nar said.
"Your people have tales of older things in the deep, correct?" Xilya asked Nar. "Since the time of the ancients?"
Nar rubbed at the bridge of his nose. "There are always tales or rumors of things. But that's all they have been."
"Doesn't mean one of them couldn't be true."
"I'd prefer if they stayed untrue," Nar said.
"Xilya, didn't you say that the rainwater would eventually flood the whole area?" Ryziel asked.
"Yes," she answered. "And that part should be no different."
"So, that means when it floods, this hoarder shouldn't be able to get to the minerals."
"Not unless they can breathe underwater," she said.
Ryziel and Xilya looked over at Nar, who stared back at them. "I mean, there are, like, dozens of species that could breathe in both air and water and just as many that can hold their breath for days," Nar said, throwing up his hands. "But I'm fairly certain none of them are smart enough to do this." He waved a hand at the mineral clusters.
"The tales of things below," Xilya said to Nar, "do your kind have written claims about them? Or are they only through word of mouth?"
"If there are written stories," Nar said. "They would probably be in the urken archives."
"Do you have access to them?"
"No, but I can," he said confidently. He swiped the holographic image of the map aside and brought up a set of data written in the urken language. "They've been serializing everything digitally since one of the libraries got destroyed by a cave-in. Shouldn't take more than a few minutes to crack into it."
"Good," Ryziel said. "Once you have access, start looking for all mentions of myths involving water-based creatures."
"Got it," Nar said, continuing to sift through an urken database.
Ryziel brought his gaze over to Xilya. "You and I are going to go investigate."
Xilya bowed her head to him. "Do you think it wise to go near there before we know what we are dealing with?"
Ryziel left the console and started for the opposite side of the chamber, where a metal shelf sat. "We won't be going in yet, obviously," he called back to her. He took up a green orb from the shelf and returned to where the vrisha female stood. "We will use a nighteye." He held it out to her, and she took it carefully. "We will get close then send it in and have a look around."
Xilya turned the orb in her hand. "Not a bad plan." She offered it back to him, and he took it. "When do we leave?"
"Right now," Ryziel said, turning away again to place the nighteye in his pack.
***
They stayed down below for several hours, half the time traveling then sneaking their way over to the passage leading to the hidden chamber, the other time waiting as the nighteye took a full image of the room. When it was finished, they didn't stick around long to wait for anything to return. They quickly made their way back to the lair before half the night was through.
As soon as they returned, they uploaded the image feed to the console. As it played, they watched carefully, their faces twisting more and more into hard-set frowns.
"That's a lot of holes," Nar said flatly. "Tight ones."
Xilya slapped him lightly across the head. "Don't be crude."
Nar rubbed the back of his head, giving her a venomous look. "I wasn't," he snapped.
They watched as the nighteye circled around the chamber, showing an elevated view of a room punctured with small holes similar to those in the cave system where they had originally been harvesting. Only, these holes were even smaller and set in what were clearly rows, confirming that something had made them.
"Every single one is filled with minerals, all the way to the back," Ryziel said. He rubbed at his face. "Made to be hard to get into."
"What could this thing need with all these minerals anyway?" Xilya asked, glaring at the image. "It can't possibly use or need them for anything."
"Your guess is as good as mine," Nar said as he tapped at the console and brought up the urken archives on a separate screen. "But I've found a few possible culprits." He tapped the console again and brought up about five or so entries. "I've ruled out a couple, since they are more of the 'swimmer only' variety, as this thing clearly walks as well as swims. That leaves these few, and I'll tell you right now—none of them are nice and fluffy. I'll read deeper into each and see if one fits with what we are dealing with. "
"Good. I will start organizing supplies for each of us." Ryziel backed away from the console and started to head for the supply cabinets.
"Hold, Nihl Ryziel. I think we should discuss a plan of attack first." Xilya spoke as she gestured toward the screen. "After all, it could very well be trapped."
Ryziel paused to think on this. "Very well," he said. "Tell me what you have in mind."
Xilya left Nar to read over the entries, moving to Ryziel's side. "Firstly, I think if we are dealing with something extremely advanced and just as equally nasty it would probably be good to at least have a backup plan, rather than just sneaking inside and hoping for the best."
"Sound theory," Ryziel said.
"So, we should prepare both for a distraction for the best case scenario and to arm ourselves for the worst."
"Arm ourselves?" Ryziel tilted his head. "I didn't think you were one for the use of weapons. If we had any..."
Xilya shook her head. "It is not so much weapons but more something that could really do a great deal of damage to a creature without us having to necessarily fight it. Because I think both you and I can agree that we don't need another incident like what happened with the nyghi—"
Ryziel looked away as his face twisted, trying not to think about it.
"And I cannot say I could necessarily fight it on my own." Xilya bowed her head, moving a little closer to him. "So, we use something that not only could keep it away but could also get us out in case it trapped us."
Ryziel’s eyes flicked back to her, his mind working as he stared at her. "You want to use bombs?"
He guessed correctly as she nodded her head once. "Like the very ones used to break into this chamber."
Ryziel cast his eyes back to the area of supplies, where he knew a few bombs still sat, left over from when they had been breaking through chunks of cave wall to find the ship. "It would be loud...it could draw others."
"It could, but I don't think it will," Xilya stated. "Did you see any hint of life or sense movement as we neared that hidden den?"
Ryziel shook his head. "None."
"Because the things below know not to go near. They know something lurks there that would keep them far away. They will not come." Her eyes narrowed at him. "The bombs could be our protection and distraction."
"We would have to be careful how we use them, though," Ryziel said, rubbing his jaw. "We don't want to spur a cave-in."
"True, we would need to be careful. Keep the charges low. Don't use them unless absolutely dire."
"I will gather flashers as well. Though they draw some creatures to them, they might help depending on what we are dealing with," Ryziel said, still eyeing the supplies, thinking.
"Good." Xilya shifted her tail around and that seemed to be the end of their planning as she started for the door. "Ready the supplies, then. I will go above and get Aly."
Ryziel jerked his head around at her. "What?"
"I will bring her down so that she can be ready to go with us."
Ryziel choked down a snarl. "You will not. She is not going to be a part of this."
Xilya gave him an unhidden look of exasperation as she turned on him. "Must we argue this again? How many times do I have to tell it to you for it to sink in? We can't fit in those small spaces. We need someone who can."
"Nar will—"
"Nar will come this time, yes, as we won't be making a second trip if we can help it and need all the help we can get. All the help we can get." Xilya pointed at him, but Ryziel continued to shake his head.
"She can't come. It's too dangerous," he growled, turning from her, not wanting her to see his panicked expression. But she was right, of course; in all logical sense, they needed Aly again, no matter how much he didn't want to see it.
Xilya snorted. "So was taking her down to the Keep. But she went and she survived. We need to gather as much of what we can get in this hidden room and, hopefully, do it without disturbing anything. If we can do that, it will be no different than what she has dealt with before." Ryziel didn't speak, his mouth drawn thin. "And if it bothers you to have her close to you, then you needn't worry, I will guard her while you protect Nar."
Ryziel scowled, beginning to pace. "We have no idea what we are dealing with. I won't put her life in jeopardy again. I won't."
"Guys..." came Nar's voice, like a soft noise in the background, barely discernible.
"She has every right to be here, as much as us. We all risk something. And if I'm not mistaken by Nar's story, she had to do a great deal by herself when you were in your beast's hold."
"Guys," came Nar's voice, a little louder.
Ryziel growled low. "That won't happen again. And you sound so sure we will get in and out fine, but if you are wrong and something happens..."
"If it makes you feel better, I will protect her with my life. How about that?"
"And what if we're wrong? What if it isn't just one thing?" Ryziel swung his arm toward the console. "What if it is many things? How will we be able to—"
"It isn't!" Nar said, almost yelling.
The two went silent but didn't look away from each other.
"What do you mean?" Xilya spoke first.
"It isn't many things. It's definitely one thing," Nar said, swinging around in his high chair. "It's her."
Ryziel looked over, as did Xilya, and they saw that Nar's face was ashen.
"It's her," he repeated softly.
Chapter Twenty-three
Aly was working on the repair of another drillbot when Julian suddenly appeared out of the elevator and stepped over to her platform. The rain was just a light mist, a dazzling gleam of particles against the harsh light of the castors. It reminded Aly of the first night she had met Ryziel, and it had put her into a sour mood. When she saw Julian, her mood lifted slightly but only enough to greet him with a weak smile.
"Mind if we talk?" he said as he approached, gesturing for her to stand. Aly did, wiping her damp hands on her suit. She followed him over to the opposite side of the platform, near the rock wall and out of the way of others, knowing that this 'talk' must be the one Mark had warned her about.
"I thought you'd be working," Aly said as they stopped at the edge of the platform.
He leaned forward against the rail, looking down into the abyss. "They decided to let us off early." He shrugged. "So, I thought to find you."
Aly raised her brows at him. "They...let you get off early?"
He glanced back at her, and the side of his mouth curved up in a slanted smile. "No. A joke. I slipped away. I have no warnings this month, so I can afford to be a little rebellious. Just like someone I know." He bumped her arm with his, and Aly chuckled.
They looked over the edge and were silent for a long moment before Julian elected to speak again. "Did I ever tell you that me and Kate had been stationed on Freya for a few months before joining the Grayhart mission?"
Aly looked over at him curiously. "The civilian world? Why?"
