AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He stood me up.
The flower he delicately placed in the door handles is nothing more than a consolation prize from a Kaleidian who probably never planned to show. Sitting on the park bench, I’m floored at the thought. I had to face facts. Garet used me.
My drive back to the hunting lodge is a mixed bag of anger. I guess I was dreaming, like I so often do, to think the guy wanted any more than a one-time thing with me. I know I’m prone to romanticism, but I felt like there was something magic happening with us.
It felt so real, it’s just too hard to believe that it’s all been in my head this whole time.
My night passes in a fevered sweat with me kicking myself for my naivety. What will Alice think when I tell her that my dream Kaeidian is no better than most guys we’ve known?
By the next day, I'm reluctant to even open my eyes. A heavy hand on my door gives me no choice. Assuming it’s Alice up early with a demand from the diva, I slowly rise to see a white figure come into focus.
“Good,” Sathior says, folding her hands neatly across her lap. “ I see you’ve recovered.”
I have nothing to give her but silence, my confusion overpowers any curiosity.
At last she says, “Alice will give you instructions for our departure. I want to be on the next ship back to Glimner, today. Will you book that now, please?”
“Of course,” I say as I see her waver in front of me. She’s back in white, a thin pale gown dripping in light blue trim. There's something notably sad about her. “Did something happen?”
She pauses, teetering on her toes until finally flumping onto my bed she throws her arms around me.
“I just can’t believe him.” Anger huffs out of her as she tries to explain it. “He has no idea what I risk just by being here and he, he, said my designs last spring weretacky.Can you believe it?”
I can, but, that’s not the point.
My arms find her in gentle camaraderie. I had to acknowledge now that her secret romance didn't work out any better than mine.
“So, we’re going back to Glimner?” I ask her, lending her some strength with my eyes.
“As soon as possible,” she sniffles under her veil, “I want off this rock.”
As much as it hurts to leave, I feel my own anguish echo in her words.
“Then let’s get us out of here.”
CHAPTER 10
GARET
“This will be your only retrial, Garet.” Officer Marrick says holding a small plasma handgun. “Make it count.”
In the thirty seconds before he fires the round, the silence stills in the air around me, deafeningly familiar. It’s my second run at the trial, and while the chances of meeting another human woman in distress are shockingly small, it’s Tania’s face I see in the microseconds before the gun fires.
“On your mark, get set,bang!”
My pack is set and ready, my rations light and supplies scant as I set to running.
I’m trained for this. Whether it's rain pounding my scales or near starvation within the lush but sometimes fickle forest, I never know what to expect. Will it choose to nourish me as it did the day I saved Tania?
Tania.
As much as I want to, I can’t think about her now. After the trial, I’ll be back in that little town, hoping to get closer to her. But for now, the image of my big brother grinning over hisvictory digs like a thorn in my side. Mere minutes are all I need to wipe that smile off his face.
“48 hours, 21 minutes,” Like my steps on the earth and the breath in my lungs, the words carry me on. “48 hours, 21 minutes.” Time slips away from me as the jungle grows darker and evening sets in over Kalei.
The jungle becomes thicker as my feet slow to a steady pace. Before long, the path will wind into uncertainty. In nearby towns, people sleep peaceably in their beds. In this jungle, animals awake to make terror in the night. I’ll need my instincts sharp and focused for whatever dangers may be lurking, hoping I lose my way.
Suddenly the view ahead becomes pitch black and my pace slows to a halt. Facing Rockall’s Cliff, I know I have my options. I could move right to the far side of the mountain and zig-zag up the switchback. In any other trial, it’s exactly what I would do.
