Текст книги "Roks captive"

Автор книги: A.G. Wilde

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Текущая страница: 22 (всего у книги 24 страниц)

Someone says my name, but I don’t hear it. The world narrows to a single, suffocating truth: Jacqui is gone. She went into that endless dust after me, alone, unprotected. And I wasn’t there.

A violent sob claws its way out of me. My hands fist in the sand like I can dig through it, like I can tunnel back in time and stop her from leaving. “She wouldn’t—I told her to stay. I⁠—”

Strong arms wrap around me from behind, pulling me against a solid chest. His whole being encloses me as his chin rests on my head. He doesn’t speak. Doesn’t tell me it’ll be okay. He just holds me, his grip unyielding, as if he can keep me from shattering completely.

I twist in his arms, pressing my face to his neck. My tears soak into his skin, and his growl vibrates through me. He isn’t angry. This is something deeper. A promise. A vow.

Without understanding anything they just told me, he knows. As if he can feel my pain.

“We will find her,” he projects into my mind. “I will tear apart every dune in the dust if I must. But I will bring your sister-female back to you.”

I clutch him tighter, my fingers digging into his back. He doesn’t flinch. Doesn’t pull away. He just holds me harder, his mind brushing against mine. Steady. Unbreakable.

My rock.

After a few moments, I feel steady enough to take a breath and look over my shoulder at Mikaela. Everyone else averts their gazes from me as if guilty. As if they feel like I will blame them for letting her leave.

“Which direction?” I ask, my voice hollow. “Which way did she go?”

Mikaela opens her mouth to answer, but it’s Pam who points toward those stone formations I’d set out to reach originally. “She followed your original route.”

I turn to Rok, desperation clawing at my throat. “We have to find her,” I project, not caring if his brothers hear the frantic edge to my thoughts. “Please, Rok. We have to find my sister.”

Rok’s expression remains calm, but I feel the surge of determination in his mind. “We will find her,” he projects firmly. “If she lives, we will find her.”

It’s the “if” that breaks me. I collapse against him again. The world narrows to a single, terrible thought: Jacqui is out there, alone, in a wasteland that nearly killed me despite having Rok’s protection and knowledge.

As the gravity of the situation settles over me, I become aware of the Drakav clan and the human women watching us, two worlds suddenly thrust together by crisis and necessity. Whatever initial tensions existed between them seem temporarily suspended in the face of this new emergency.

But then Erika steps closer, arms crossed, but her shoulders are slumped. She looks defeated. “There’s…there’s something else.”

The way she says it makes me stiffen. “What?” I whisper.

“It’s…Hannah. She’s gone too.”

I ease off Rok and he helps me to stand, one powerful arm supporting me as I push back my tears and turn to face Erika.

“Gone?”

Erika sighs. “After Jacqui left and didn’t return…she ventured off on her own. Said she couldn’t sit here and wait to die.”

Mikaela releases a sigh too, and slumps to the ground, crouching with her face in her hands. “Tried to stop her, too.”

“Which way did she go? After Jaqs?”

Erika shakes her head. “No. She went that way.” She points in the opposite direction to where the stone formation is. Oh shit.

My gaze shifts to Rok at my back. In about two seconds, I bring him up to speed.

“Ain is high,” Kol projects, stepping forward. “We should establish better shelter for these females and begin the search before Ain sets.”

His practical approach cuts through my spiraling thoughts, giving me something to focus on beyond my fear. I nod.

Before I can respond further, Tharn steps forward, his golden eyes meeting mine with unexpected intensity.

“I will go,” he projects, firm and clear. “I will find your sister-female.”

I stare at him, surprised by his offer. Tharn, who had been so wary of me at first, now volunteering to search for Jacqui?

“Tharn is our best tracker,” Rok adds, his thoughts flowing smoothly into mine. “If your sister-female is in the dust, he will find her.”

I swallow hard, glancing at Rok.

“I trust him with my life,” Rok projects. “I would trust him with yours.”

Something in his certainty steadies me. I turn to Tharn, studying his face. There’s a determination there, a steadiness I hadn’t fully appreciated before.

“I’m coming with you,” I project. No way I’m staying here with the others.

Tharn tilts his head, considering me for a moment before inclining his head in a way that seems to suggest acceptance. Kol, however, looks less convinced.

“I will send Sorn here to find the other lost female.” He gestures to a male with a scarred face. He stands sideways, stiffly, and I realize he’s keeping the scarred side away from facing the women. “Will these other females follow us if you leave?” Kol gestures to the women, who are watching our silent exchange with growing confusion. “I can sense they do not trust us. But they will not survive much longer without our help.”

He’s right. They’re all sunburned, tired, hungry, dehydrated. They’ve been surviving, but just barely. But they’re also standing together in a protective huddle, watching the Drakav with curious but uncertain gazes.

I can just imagine how they feel. Trusting aliens is kind of what brought us here in the first place.

My gaze meets Erika’s. I give her a nod. “They will follow you.”

Kol’s gaze shifts to her, his gaze so intense it’s like it eats her up. I swear I see her cheeks darken. Or maybe I’m just noticing more sunburn.

Kol suddenly inclines his head, gaze shifting to the others of his group. Though no words are spoken aloud, I can sense the edges of their communication—Kol assigning duties, establishing guards. It happens with such swift efficiency that, within moments, the clan begins moving with purpose. Sorn, the male he sends after Hannah, sets off on a jog.

“What’s happening?” Mikaela asks, stepping forward. “How do you know what they’re doing when they haven’t said a word?” Her eyes narrow as she catches several of the Drakav wincing as she speaks. Her voice rises, frown deepening. “And why do they keep doing that every time I talk?”

I sigh, realizing how much explaining I have ahead of me. “It’s a long story, but they have a language—just not one you can hear. They communicate with their minds, and your voices…hurt their ears.” I gesture toward the bus. “Let’s get everyone settled, and I’ll explain everything. I promise.”

While I begin organizing the women, Rok and the others make themselves useful immediately. Three Drakav, including the one who offered me the lizard meat at the clan dwelling, set off in what looks to me like a random direction. But they know better than I do. They’re hunting for food, I assume. Two others begin expertly adjusting the drag chute that’s been serving as makeshift shelter, so it gives more shade. With their strength, they drape the heavy thing much better than any of us ever could.

Kol approaches the transport cautiously, his nostrils flaring as he takes in its scent. With careful movements, he begins to examine the structure, seemingly assessing its integrity and defensibility. His practicality reminds me of Jacqui, sending a fresh pang through my heart.

“We leave as soon as they are settled,” Tharn projects to me, his gaze fixed on the horizon in the direction Jacqui supposedly went. “It is good we are in the calm season. We have many solmarks of Ain’s light left to guide our way.”

“And we will leave this place shortly after. As soon as you depart. We head for the clan territory,” Kol adds, his gaze shifting from the bus to the surroundings. “It is not wise to tarry here, in the Silent Valley, for so long.”

I nod, turning my attention back to helping the weakest women out of the transport and into the shade. The one with the broken arm, and the who had gotten the concussion look the worst.

“They need water,” I tell Rok. “And food. Something gentle for their stomachs.”

Rok understands immediately, retrieving water skins from the supplies they brought and demonstrating to the women how to use them. Some are hesitant, but when the first takes the leap and drinks, the relief on her face convinces the others. As they drink, it is painful to watch. How long have they been rationing themselves to the point of dehydration?

“You’re communicating with them, aren’t you?” Erika asks me quietly as I help distribute fire bloom leaves, showing and explaining to them how the plant has healing properties. “There’s no way you all are just moving around each other intuitively like this.”

“Yes, I am,” I admit. There’s no point in hiding it. “It’s how they talk. It’s how they…know each other.”

“And you can do this how?” Mikaela crosses her arms, watching me.

“It’s complicated,” I say again, but I know the explanation is inadequate. “I’ll tell you everything after we find Jacqui.”

Erika nods, accepting the deflection for now. “She was so determined to find you,” she says, her voice softening. “None of us could stop her.”

My throat tightens. “That sounds like Jacqui. Always trying to protect me, even from myself.”

As the camp slowly takes shape around us, I find myself continually drawn to that stone formation in the distance, my thoughts racing ahead to the search that’s about to begin. Rok must sense my distraction because he approaches, gently placing a hand on my shoulder.

“Tharn will not fail,” he projects, his faith in his fellow warrior absolute. “And I will be with you.”

I lean into his touch, drawing strength from his certainty. “Thank you,” I project, hoping he can feel the depth of my gratitude.

By the time the camp is properly established, with water, food, and shelter secured for the women, Ain has moved noticeably across the sky. The hunters have returned with several of the desert creatures that have become familiar to me over the past days, and Rok is showing them how to cook them enough for human ingestion.

Mikaela approaches me as I gather the few supplies I’ll need to go searching for Jaqs. A waterskin. Spare emergency blanket. “You’re really going back out there?” she asks, concern evident in her voice.

“I have to,” I tell her, checking the water skin Rok gave me. “She went looking for me, Mikaela. I can’t just sit here knowing that.”

She sighs, then surprises me by pulling me into a quick, fierce hug. “Be careful. We just got you back. Don’t make us lose you again.”

Touched by her concern, I hug her back. “I’ll be careful. And I’m not alone this time.”

Her gaze shifts to where Rok stands with Tharn, the two of them conferring in their silent way as they prepare for our departure. “No,” she agrees, a hint of wonder in her voice. “You’re definitely not alone.” She bites her bottom lip and I can almost read the thoughts flying across her mind. “Are you sure about these guys?” She whispers low.

I take her hands in mine, forcing her to face me. “Yes.” I say it with every ounce of assurance I can muster. “I do. Go with them. They’ll keep you safe.”

She swallows, still biting her lip before she sighs and nods. Another fierce hug before she releases me and heads over to help Erika divide the food.

By the time everyone is watered and fed, I am ready to start the search for Jaqs. Kol’s insistence that they set out on their journey back to the clan grounds immediately makes some of the women unsure when I relay the message to them. But there is no other choice. Either go or stay in the desert waiting for the Xyma who may never come.

I explain the Drakav will be moving slower than usual, making the journey longer, but that they will ensure the women’s safety. This seems to help, but there’s still an underlying tension. Even among the Drakav. Even though none of them mindspeak their unease, I can feel it in the way their gaze shifts over the suns around us. They do not like this place. This valley of silence, as they call it.

It’s hard leaving the group when I’ve just found them again. But I need to. I bid my farewells and head toward Rok and Tharn. Kol intercepts me.

“We will guard these females. These daughters of Ain,” he projects.

“I know you will, dra-dam…I put my trust in you.”

I feel his brush of surprise at my use of his official title.

“You learn quickly, soft one,” he projects. “I have felt your thoughts. My brothers and I do not care if you are the true daughters or not. We will die for any one of these females anyway.” I swallow down the lump of feeling that rises in my throat. His words feel like a vow. “No harm will come to them while we draw breath.”

“Thank you.” I give him a slight bow. “They are my family. My clan.”

He inclines his head, accepting my designation. “Find your sister-female. Bring her home to your clan.”

With that, he steps aside, and I join Rok and Tharn at the edge of the camp. “Ready?” Rok projects, his golden eyes searching mine. The urge to throw myself into his arms and just curl up and cry is almost overwhelming. His quiet support through all this has done more than he even knows.

I nod, casting one last glance back at the camp—at the human women tentatively putting their trust in the Drakav warriors as they prepare to head in the opposite direction.

“Let’s find Jacqui,” I say, turning to face the vast expanse of desert that swallowed my sister. “Let’s bring her home.”

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Chapter 37

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OKAY, DESERT. TRUCE?

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JUSTINE

The stone formations grow larger as we approach, their jagged silhouettes stark against the darkening sky. We’ve been walking for hours, following the path Jacqui supposedly took, and my body aches with each step. I remember when I first took this journey. How I had to stop so many times. Now all I need is a swig from the waterskin and I keep going on. The heat is trying and the emergency blanket Alex gave me hardly feels like it’s helping, but I can’t stop. Won’t stop. Not when my sister is out there somewhere.

By the time we reach the stone formation, I’m drained, but hopeful.

“Jaqs?” I call out. Only, there’s no sign of Jacqui.

All that’s left, all that’s still there, is my message I left in the dust. The stones, now almost covered with sand, pointing toward the other stone formation in the distance.

Tharn releases a low rumble in his chest.

“In that direction lies our rivals. Territory we cannot cross.”

I gulp hard. I’ve seen their rivals. I understand why they’d want to stay away. But it’s my sister we’re talking about here.

“We have to go. At least to the point where Rok caught up with me.”

Tharn’s gaze shifts to Rok. I can tell they’re having an argument that Rok shields me from. Finally, Tharn’s shoulders sag.

“We move with caution.”

I swallow hard, nodding.

Tharn leads our small group, his powerful frame moving with surprising grace across the shifting sands. Every few minutes, he drops to a crouch, examining the ground with an intensity that gives me hope. Sometimes he lingers longer, head tilted as if listening to something I can’t hear, before rising and adjusting our course slightly.

“Does he know where he’s going?” I project to Rok, who walks beside me, his stride shortened to match mine.

“Tharn reads the dust like few others can,” Rok replies, his mental voice confident. “Even traces that would be invisible to most leave marks he can follow.”

I watch as Tharn pauses again, his clawed hand hovering just above the sand’s surface. “What’s he looking for, exactly?”

“Disturbances. Changes in how the sand settles. The dust remembers those who cross it, at least for a time.”

The dust remembers. He’s talking about tracking. It’s such a poetic way to describe it and as I watch Tharn, there’s something almost spiritual in how he approaches the task, as if communing with the desert itself.

“Your sister-female moved with purpose,” Tharn projects suddenly, his thoughts directed at both of us. “Her path does not wander. She knew where she was going.”

That sounds like Jacqui. Even lost in an alien desert, she would approach the task with her head on her shoulders. No panicked running in circles for my sister.

“Is that good?” I ask, hope fluttering in my chest.

“It means she conserved energy,” Rok explains. “Used her water wisely. That improves her chances.”

Her chances. The phrase sends a chill through me despite the lingering heat of the day. We’re talking about her survival in terms of probability, and I hate it. I hate that we have to think this way.

As the sun, Ain, begins her descent toward the horizon, the stone formations that were my second destination loom before us. There’s a small boulder that Tharn heads toward, gaze shifting from side to side now that we can see the stone formation that marks the rival clan’s territory clearly.

“Justine.” Rok’s voice in my mind pulls me from my thoughts. “Come.”

I turn to find him and Tharn standing a few yards from the boulder, both looking at something on the ground. My heart leaps into my throat as I hurry to join them. “Did you find something?”

Tharn gestures to the sand at our feet. At first, I see nothing unusual—just the endless grains that cover everything on this planet. But then, as I look more carefully, I notice a slight depression, a different texture to the surface.

“Someone rested here,” Tharn projects. “Recently. Within the last two sols.”

“Jacqui?” I can barely breathe around the hope swelling in my chest.

Tharn kneels, his long fingers hovering just above the impression. “The size matches what a being your size might leave.”

I drop to my knees beside him, scanning the area desperately for any other sign. “But where did she go?” I lift my head, looking at the stone formations in the distance. If she went over there…

“There is…something else.”

Tharn moves a few feet away, where the sand seems smoother, more deliberately arranged. Rok follows, crouching beside him, his head tilted in that curious way that reminds me he’s not human, despite how comfortable I’ve become with him.

“What is it?” I ask out loud, joining them.

Rok looks up at me, his golden eyes reflecting the last of the sun’s light. “Markings. In the dust.”

I look down and my breath stops in my throat. There, etched into the surface, are lines and curves that I recognise immediately. Letters. English letters.

“J + J,” I read aloud, my voice cracking. “4 EVER.”

It’s our childhood code, the one we used to carve into trees at summer camp, into the wooden bench at the park, even into the corner of my bedroom windowsill when I was twelve and Jacqui was eleven.

Tears spring to my eyes as I trace the letters with my fingertip. “It’s from Jacqui,” I whisper, then remember I need to use my thoughts. “She was here. She left this for me to find.”

“What does it mean?” Rok asks, studying the markings.

I swallow hard against the lump in my throat. “It’s her way of telling me she was here…and that she’s okay.”

“There is more,” Tharn projects, moving a few feet to the right.

I follow him and find another set of markings, these bigger:

“– H20”

“Water,” I translate. “She found water…” I look over the message, but the arrow has been erased by sand, leaving just part of a long line visible. I turn to the left and right, trying to spot where she might have gone.

Rok follows my gaze. “There are only two caves near here where water collects,” he projects. “We sheltered near one when⁠—”

“When you saved me from the shadow creatures,” I finish, the memory rushing back. That terrifying night when the predators had nearly caught me, when Rok had carried me up the steep side of a cliff to safety. “Could she have found the same place?”

Rok tilts his head. “Possible.”

Hope surges through me, so strong it’s almost painful. “How long could these markings last before the wind covers them?”

Tharn and Rok exchange a glance. “A sol,” Tharn projects. “Two at most, if the wind is gentle.”

“Then she was here yesterday, maybe the day before.” I stand up, staring at the rock formations with renewed determination. “We need to go to the cave. Now.”

Rok glances at Tharn.

“We must separate,” Tharn unexpectedly suggests. “I will go to the farthest cave. You and Rok to the other closer one.”

Rok considers this, then inclines his head in approval. “A wise plan.”

I look between them, torn between gratitude for Tharn’s offer and reluctance to split up. As the light dies, I know time is of the essence.

“Okay,” I say out loud. With a deep breath, I reach up to my ear and take off my single remaining earring. I hand it to Tharn, taking his massive hand in mine as I press the little piece of jewelry into the center of his palm. He doesn’t move, just stares at me and it.

“What is this?” He projects.

My fingers pause where I hold it there. The last thing I have from my mother. “It’s something for Jacqui,” I push my thoughts toward him. “So she will know I am safe. So she will know she can trust you.”

Tharn gazes down at the earring as I finally take my hand away from it. I can tell by the way he closes his palm and holds it carefully that he senses the gravity of this little object. “I will make sure your sister-female sees it,” he projects.

Before I can rethink it, I wrap my arms around Tharn in a hug.

He jerks, then goes impossibly still.

“What is the female doing, Rok?”

I chuckle, forcing a deep breath through my lungs. “It’s called a hug.” As I release him, he stands awkwardly, watching as I return to Rok’s side. “Thank you, Tharn.”

For a moment, he just blinks at me before inclining his head. Without another word, he turns and moves away from us, his form quickly blending with the gathering darkness.

“Come, my light,” Rok projects. “We will reach the nearer cave before the dark.” Lifting me into his arms, he takes off at a run, heading away from Tharn, the rival clan territory, and from the message Jacqui left.

I can only hope we’re not too late.

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