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Chapter Nine
Tayla
“Can you believe that guy?”
Alec stared at me blankly, not saying a word, but I knew what he was thinking. I was the one who’d invited Adreax into our camp. I was the one who made a deal with Adreax. And I was the one in charge of this whole operation. No matter which way I sliced it, I was to blame for his continued presence in our lives.
Alec returned his attention to resetting our equipment and making notes of any damage he found, working silently, although I could feel the judgement radiating off of him. Luckily, the damage wasn’t as bad as it first appeared. Despite my initial rage and hurt, a lot of the equipment was just fine. It still worked, more or less, and we could carry on with almost all of our regular testing. And I had to admit that I was glad I didn’t need to continue wearing the mask anymore. Even Alec had eventually removed his mask. Long after Adreax was out of sight.
Now, all I could do was hope that he would be back in the morning with the equipment he promised, and we could carry on with no further disruptions.
When I finished picking up the last instrument and dusting it off, I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. I felt the stretch all the way through my shoulders and down my spine, and I took a deep breath through my nose. It was almost sunset, almost time for bed, and I was so, so ready to lie down and sleep. Between the emotional turmoil and the stresses of running the camp, I was beyond exhausted.
“Let’s wrap up,” I whispered, putting the last piece in its proper place. “I think we’ve both earned a few hours of rest.”
Alec nodded and walked back toward the shuttle. I took one more moment to appreciate the silence and the stars. I stood with my head thrown back, staring up at the twinkling lights, marveling at how different the constellations were from this view. It was really something.
Something bumped into my hip, and I looked down in surprise. It was Alec, standing with a sleeping mat and an enormous grin on his face.
Right, sleeping under the stars.
“Um… do you really think that’s a good idea? With Adreax and Herod out there? We don’t know what they’re capable of. What if they come back during the night?”
But nothing would wipe the smile off of Alec’s face. He just kept staring skyward, dropping the sleeping mat at his feet and grabbing my hand with a strange urgency.
“Tayla, I don’t care if they’re out there. We made it all the way to this Orb, and I mean to sleep under the stars just like I said I would. After today, I’m even more sure that this is the right thing to do. If Adreax and Herod make a move against us, at least I’ll know that I spent my last night doing something worthwhile.”
I could hear the reverence in his words, and I had to admit I was a little jealous of him. He loved the stars with all his heart. I loved the stars, too, but I wasn’t sure I’d ever felt anything as intensely as Alec did. It made me wonder if I was even capable of love at all.
He knelt and rolled the sleeping mat out onto the ground.
“Here, sit,” he said, inviting me to a spot at the end of the mat.
I cast a weary glance at the shuttle, feeling the exhaustion in my bones desperately calling me to my bed, but I couldn’t say no. I plopped down and pulled my knees up to my chest, resting my head on my hands as I admired the wide-open sky. Beside me, Alec hummed a low song to himself, a soothing melody that nearly lulled me to sleep right there.
Just as I was about to let my eyelids fall shut, I saw a collection of lights moving together among the stars. I smiled, thinking to myself that our eyes play wonderful tricks on our minds when they’re tired. But then it happened again, forcing me to blink several times, trying to make sense of what I was seeing. They were moving, forming a line and then an arc.
