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Sliding his hand into mine, Adreax prepared to make a run for it. On his count, we all tried to match his pace, fighting through the slippery mud away from the ship before anyone spotted us. Fortunately, what guards there were had sheltered under the broad wings, their heads bent together against the fierce winds that whipped across the open ground.
“Wait!” I shouted. “We need to go to the shuttle! Herod will never find us in this mess! It’s the only way!”
I tugged on Adreax’s arm, pulling him with me. The sedative was finally wearing off, and I was thinking clearly. If I could get back to my ship, I thought I had a plan.
With my shuttle so close to the alien ship, we scaled the low ridge and stumbled our way down to the open door in a soaking mass. The doors were still wide open, and I braced myself for whatever we might find inside. I thought briefly of the gunshots and Alec, who was still unaccounted for. Taking a deep breath, I let go of Adreax’s hand and went to the cockpit. He followed me, and the other women pushed in, closing the door behind them.
Immediately I began powering up the shuttle, hoping that it was still ready for flight after all this time. Lights came on and screens flashed to life. That was a good sign.
“Take that yoke,” I yelled to Adreax. “I’m on radios. Get the engines warmed up. When I say go, we go.”
Adreax looked around in a bit of confusion. He was not used to being ordered around, and this ship was unfamiliar to him, but he did as he was told.
“This is Tayla! Are you out there?” I screamed into the radio, feeling the chill of the rain soaking through my clothes. “Please! Please, come in!”
“Tayla? What’s wrong?”
“Stop the rain! Heat up, humidity down! NOW!”
My voice was shrill, and I my hands were shaking.
“Uh, all right,” he answered too slowly.
“Now! Just do it!”
There was no answer on the other end.
“Please, please, let this work,” I begged, lowering myself down into my seat and listening to the shuttle’s engines revving up in a low howl beneath the storm.
“It’s stopping,” Adreax said with wonder. “I don’t know how, but it’s stopping. Look.”
I leaned toward the windshield, putting all my weight on my hands as I watched the rain slow from a torrent into a meager sprinkle.
“Go. Go!”
I was thrown back into my seat as Adreax released the brakes and the shuttle heaved itself into motion. It was too slow, not meant for this sort of thing, but it would have to do. Down below, the confused guards were coming out from under their cover and shielding their eyes as they looked up at us. My heart fluttered with hope, and the other women cheered quietly behind me as we pulled away from them, bogged down momentarily in the mud before breaking free with the help of the engines.
“How do we find Herod?” I asked, searching the sky for any sign of Adreax’s partner.
Adreax gave me a surprised look, but then his face softened into an appreciative smile.
“Don’t worry about him. He’ll find us.”
“Speaking of finding people, who’s this?” one girl asked, stepping aside.
To my surprise, a very disheveled Alec stood behind her. His face was ashen, and his hair looked like wild animals nested in it, but he was alive.
“Alec!” I screeched, and yet another weight lifted off of my heavy heart.
We were going to make it. I just knew it.
