Alien Mask, page 5
Lerokan’s voice was much more cheerful than it had been a few moments before. His hands gripped me under my armpits, holding my body up.
“I wasn’t trying to scare it off. And I’m pretty sure that’s not what happened,” I grumbled. I sighed, shaking my head, exhaustion worming its way through my limbs. “Well, since it’s gone now, can we try again? Head back for the battle scene now?”
Lerokan didn’t answer. I felt his fingers tighten under my arms before he grew still as the stone around us.
“What? What is it?” I asked, forcing strength into my legs so I could hold up my own weight without Lerokan’s help. Even when I made it obvious I could stand again without him, he didn’t let go. I turned around in his arms, throwing him a questioning look.
His lips were pulled back from his fangs, his sight stars two vibrating points of intensity as he stared viciously up at the sky.
The expression was a fearsome one, and I was about to ask him what was wrong again when I became aware of a shift. A sudden quieting, followed by a keening in the distance. A crack of thunder shocked me so badly that I collapsed into Lerokan’s arms. My heart crashed in my chest. If I go into fight or flight mode one more time tonight I’m pretty sure I’m just going to keel over.
The world around us burned with sudden explosive light. It was so terrible, so blinding, I half-wondered if a bomb had gone off somewhere. Another detrimental boom of thunder, directly overhead, made my skull scream.
Lerokan’s movements were almost as explosive as the lightning burst had been. His hands snapped down to my waist, tightening before he hauled me up onto his shoulder. I choked and sputtered as the hard curve of his shoulder knocked the wind out of me.
I gasped, my head now upside-down over his back, my legs dangling down his front. I didn’t have time (or the breath) to complain about the undignified position. Lerokan moved swiftly, leaping through the valley on long, surefooted legs.
We reached the mouth of the cave just as the wind picked up to disastrous speeds outside, hurling rocks and pebbles like bullets. Lerokan barely slowed as he entered the cave, sweeping his free arm down to snatch his quiver of arrows and my pack from the stone floor. He carried me deeper into the darkness and Breena followed.
As much as I was dying to get back to my group, I counted myself extremely lucky to have some shelter from the sudden dangerous storm outside. And as much as Lerokan and I had clashed so far, it was good not to be alone right now.
At least, that’s how I felt until I realized that I was now trapped in an enclosed space with him.
And he was still fucking naked.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Lerokan
The cave went deep. This was a good thing. The Deep Sky dust storms could be brutal, and to be without shelter would be a death sentence.
When the howl of wind had dulled to a muted battering and the thunder was suitably dimmed, I stopped. Having grown up in these mountains, I was used to traversing caves and stone. My eyesight did not fail me in darkness like this.
The same could not be said for the wiggly woman atop my shoulder.
“Where are we now? I can’t see a bluddy thing.”
“We’re in a large cave system,” I answered, easing her off of my shoulder and setting her down. I watched her closely, primed to reach out and grab her if she showed yet more signs of wobbliness in her limbs. But at least for now, she seemed steady upon her own feet.
This section of the cave was a large enough area with exceptionally high stone ceilings. The open space narrowed at the back and appeared to wind onward into further shadowy tunnels. I was satisfied that we weren’t deep enough below ground to be bothered by predators like the borog.
All in all, things could have been much worse.
I suppose I cannot complain too much about the Vrika, now. There was no way the sacred being hadn’t sensed the storm coming. It had forcibly directed us right into the shelter of this cave.
My kind feelings about the Vrika’s intentions soured.
It probably just wants to make sure I survive long enough for it to finally saddle me with a mate.
Whatever the reasons, we were here now. We’d have to make the best of it. A storm like this could last hours, days, or even longer.
Food might become a problem, I thought scratching idly at my ear, bent under the bone bowl of the skull on my head.
There should at least be felkora and their eggs in here to sustain us for now.
I sighed, mentally doubling the food I’d have to provide now that I had Priyanka with me. She was small, but judging by the amount of up spill she’d produced, she probably ate like a braxilk. Breena could handle herself and could easily hunt in the larger caves for small creatures. But something told me Priyanka would be about as skilled at hunting as she was at flying. So, essentially useless.
“It’s cold,” she said, further confirming my impressions of her weakness. I sniffed the air and stilled, letting my skin take note of the temperature.
It wasn’t that cold. Comfortably cool at most.
“You have layers of clothing on and still it is not enough?” I asked, about to remind her that my only clothing was now lying sullied and soiled out in the dust because of her.
“I’m human. I can’t help it!”
Human? What in the piercing peaks of the Deep Sky did that mean?
“I will build a fire,” I said. “On one condition.”
“What?” The word was equally suspicious and hopeful.
“I want answers. About who you are, who you came with. Why you’re here at all.” It was all well and good to try my best to ignore her and her perplexing features and origins. But it looked like we were going to be spending some time together, now. I could no longer dump her back with her people and forget this had ever happened. My curiosity about her was quickly outpacing my need to appear impassive and unbothered.
“Deal,” she muttered. In the darkness, I watched her settle herself on her rump. Immediately, Breena sat, too, directly behind Priyanka. Priyanka leaned back into Breena’s warm solidity, sighing.
“I suppose that means you are not helping forage, then,” I said to my mount.
I did not need her to close her six eyes, ignoring me, to be reminded that she’d flown her heart out for us tonight. Breena had earned her rest.
“Alright. I’ll be back soon,” I said. I dropped Priyanka’s pack and then I slipped my bow off of my body, holding it ready in my grasp, before slinging my quiver over my shoulder. As I turned and headed for the narrow tunnel that led further into the caves, I stopped.
“Here,” I said, walking swiftly back to the other two. I took a blade from my chest – the smallest one I had – and held it out handle-first to Priyanka.
“What is it? I can’t see you.”
“It’s a sweet bar of moonbark, a gift to honour your unending patience and wisdom,” I said with a slight sigh.
Flat silence met my remark, and she didn’t lift her hand.
“It’s a blade,” I said.
“What’s a blade?”
Yet another word we do not share.
“A blade,” I repeated. “A knife. A dagger. The smallest sword-like thing I could find to fit in your absurdly tiny hand. A weapon. Something sharp to stab someone with.”
“I get it!” she said, cutting me off and raising her hand.
“You get what? You haven’t even gotten the weapon yet.”
“No, I mean, I understand.”
“Well, good. Took enough explaining to get you there.”
There came a few mumbled words about who exactly the sharp end of my blade would be meant for that I did not appreciate. But despite the obvious and imminent danger to my own person, I passed the blade into her hand. As I did so, my fingers brushed her palm. Smooth as caveworm silk. You wouldn’t even need a blade to cut skin like that. The barest brush of a claw would do it. Inhaling sharply, I snatched my hand away, curling my claws into my own tough and calloused palm.
My curiosity grew, pummelling me like the winds of the storm outside.
“I will go now,” I said quickly. The faster I prepared the fire, the faster I’d get answers.
“OK. Lerokan...”
I stiffened. That was the first time she’d said my name without a hateful sort of defiance. I ignored the unnerving way the sounds traipsed down my spine to the base of my tail, choosing instead to focus on the way her accent had absolutely butchered the syllables.
“Do you think I’ll actually need to use this?” She raised the blade in front of her face. “What would I be up against? I can’t even see anything.”
“Hmm. How’s your hearing?” I asked brightly.
“Not good enough to make up for total blindness!”
“That is bad news indeed. Ah well! I’m off, then!”
I turned from her, grinning as she sputtered.
“Wait!” she cried. A clumsy shuffling sound let me know she was getting to her feet. “I’ll come with you then!”
Ah. Well, this has backfired. I was rather looking forward to a few moments without her. I needed some time to think without her incessant questions ringing in my ears.
I turned back to her, settling my hand instinctively on the top of her head.
“Do not worry,” I said, giving her a little pat that seemed to incense her, her brows drawing together sharply. “We are not deep enough for the truly brutal beasts to sniff us out. The biggest thing up here is Breena, and she’s a worthy fighter in her own right.”
The fearsome set of Priyanka’s brows relaxed somewhat.
“OK, then. Just... Be careful.”
“You too,” I replied, withdrawing my hand from her head. “I do not relish the idea of pulling my own blade out of my guts tonight. So, when you hear someone approach you, be careful it is not me before you do anything hasty. Though I’m sure your aim is terrible, I won’t risk my life on that assumption.”
She shook her head back and forth in an odd little gesture and gave a weary chuckle. So, she can laugh, then. And not just when delighted by Breena’s nuzzling.
I watched her as she returned to her spot. She sat down and leaned back against Breena’s side once more. She drew her knees up towards her chest, holding the blade with both hands atop them.
She looked... So tiny. Fragile. Especially dwarfed as she was by Breena’s bulk. But an undeniable determination squared the set of her shoulders and tightened her grip on the blade’s bone handle.
She won’t need to use that blade, I reminded myself.
My words to her had been true – she’d face no real danger in this cave without me, especially with Breena at her side.
It was an annoyingly comforting thought.
I’ve made myself responsible for her and now my concern grows too deep.
I knew it. Could feel it.
Because it was only the chafing comfort of that truth – the truth that she’d be safe – that allowed me to finally leave her.
CHAPTER NINE
Priya
Lerokan was gone a long time. At least, it felt that way. It was a bit hard to tell. I didn’t have a watch or any human tech to pass the time or to keep track of it. I just sat on my immensely sore bum, shivering and staring into darkness that was so thick it seemed as if the knife in my hand should have been able to slash it into velvety ribbons.
I thought about untying my bedding hides from the bottom of my pack but worried that if I got too warm and comfortable, I’d fall asleep. Trying to sleep with Lerokan present would be bad enough, but it would be my only safe option. Sleeping on my own in an alien cave where I couldn’t see and could probably barely defend myself, even with this knife, would be a shockingly bad idea.
Breena seems to think it’s just fine.
I couldn’t see her well, and who even knew if braxilk did sleep? But her positioning, from what I could feel behind me, suggested one of repose. She kept her wings snugly pinned against her sides, her long neck bent to rest her head on top of the wing that was directly behind my back. Her breathing was deep and even, and I was grateful for the bit of warmth I got from her large body.
“You are my new favourite alien,” I whispered to the sleeping giant, smiling. I’d never had a pet back home, but I wondered if this is what it would have been like. The Sea Sand guys had their irkdu, of course, but the irkdu didn’t seem to have as much intelligence and personality as the braxilk species. When Breena looked at you, you could tell there was some kind of alien cleverness in her gaze.
I sighed, adjusting my position and wincing. Now that I was cold and still, the tumultuous nature of the night was making itself known in my body. Loudly. My legs shook from exertion, and every tremor made my thighs and backside shoot with pain. I’d been so tense on Breena’s back that even my chest, back, and arm muscles were feeling the effects now. And no doubt my lower half would be mottled with bruises by morning.
A fire would be nice. Really nice. The next best thing to a hot bath and a painkiller.
Oh!
I had some painkillers in my first aid kit.
Almost tearing up at the joy of that fact, I pressed the knife into my left hand and started rummaging around in the pack with my right. I realized quickly that I wouldn’t be able to figure out what was what in the darkness by touch alone – there were a couple of different small bottles in there.
Have to wait for that fire...
If it ever gets here.
I tried not to be too pissy. As I went over the night’s events, I had to admit that Lerokan had already stuck his neck out on multiple occasions to help me. He was probably tired, too, yet he was now off exploring the caves to find something to make a fire with just because I needed one, not him.
He really is a decent bloke, despite the snark.
Normally, I wouldn’t be so testy with somebody like him. I was generally known as one of the quieter humans, often more absorbed in my work than any drama or arguments. But the circumstances of our meeting hadn’t been ideal, and the stress of not knowing what had happened to my friends had pushed me over my usually stable edge.
When he gets back, I’m going to be nicer to him, I decided. If he makes that possible, that is... I was already imagining all his flippant, sarcastic remarks and feeling my blood pressure rise slightly. I hadn’t had many conversations with Sea Sand men, but I’d always gotten the sense that they didn’t really get sarcasm. Lerokan certainly did. Whether that was another difference of culture between the Sea Sands and the mountains, or just a quirk of his own personality, I couldn’t tell.
A noise at the back of the cave had me gripping the knife with two hands once more. In my haste, and not seeing what I was doing, I sliced the tip of my index finger. Gasping, I curled my right hand into a fist, keeping the knife ready in my left hand.
“Do not stab me,” called a familiar voice. “It is merely I, mighty Lerokan, bringer of fire to the darkness.”
I lowered the knife, sagging in relief. Behind me, Breena stirred slightly, giving a little bvvvvrp sound in sleepy greeting.
“You don’t need to worry about that,” I groaned, feeling my hand grow slippery with blood.
I sensed Lerokan moving towards me – good grief he was quiet.
“What’s that smell?” he asked.
“What smell?” I asked, rather defensively. I knew I probably smelled alright. I’d had a quick cleaning with some talka gel when I’d been back with the others. Feels like an eternity ago, even though it hasn’t even been a day since I last saw them...
“Smells sharp and bitter. The scent was not here last time.”
A clattering let me know Lerokan had dumped some stuff out of his arms to the floor of the cave. I was vaguely aware of him moving about but couldn’t keep track of where he was.
Until he spoke from directly in front of my face.
“It’s you. The scent is coming from you. It doesn’t smell right. What is it? I am intimately familiar with the scent of your up spill, now, so I know it is not that.”
His mention of vomit made me think of bodily fluids, and I realized just what it was that he smelled.
“It’s probably my hand. I cut it on the knife,” I said. Using my uninjured left hand, I blindly untied my bedding hides to help stem the flow of blood. I wouldn’t be able to do much without light, though. I didn’t even want to use the hides directly on the wound to stem the bleeding for fear of infection.
“Where? Which hand?” Lerokan’s voice was uncharacteristically serious, a barking growl. His fingers closed around my wrists like vises.
“Hey!” I cried. He ignored my complaint, dragging my hands upward between our faces.
He let my left hand drop (presumably when he realized that one was fine) and used both his hands to hold my right one. Pain pulsed in time with my heartbeat, but though his touch was firm, it was surprisingly gentle. And warm.
“Even I cannot see the wound well enough in this light. Hold on.” He bodily pulled me sideways, then guided my elbow to rest on Breena’s body so that my hand was held up at the level of my head. “Keep it up there,” he commanded. A swish of cave air let me know he had turned and moved swiftly away from me.
A few sounds and sparks later, and I could suddenly see again.
The fire was small at first, but after the pitch-blackness, it was almost blinding. I blinked, getting used to the light in the space as Lerokan built up the fire with deft, expert movements.
I turned my attention to my hand. My stomach dropped when I saw how much blood there was - my injured finger and palm were running with rivers of red.
The hand has lots of blood vessels, I reminded myself stoically. And you haven’t been able to stem the bleeding with anything clean yet. It might not be too bad.
Well, I could stem the bleeding now.
At least, I would have been able to if Lerokan hadn’t jogged over, crouched down, and snatched my hand again.
He gripped my wrist, his jaw set, his mouth quirking downward.
“I have no Vrika’s blood,” he said quietly. All the usual traces of sarcasm and joking were gone from his voice and his expression. He looked and sounded as grave as the skull he wore over his face.
