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The ship slid into one of the building’s alcoves, as steady as a light summer breeze. Its doors opened on either side.
Instantly, a weird sort of chill swept inside, ghosting over Leah’s skin. It wasn’t cold, per se. It was…sort of spicy? It felt like she’d bathed in menthol, her skin struggling between feeling hot and cold, all at the same time.
She wasn’t all that bothered by it, to be honest. It felt…new. Good. Like she was finally feeling something other than tired and worried and cramped.
She breathed in deeply, her lungs filling with the tangy air. It had an indescribable freshness to it, like a mountain spring tinged with a citrus scent. When was the last time she’d smelled anything other than pollution and too many people crowded in one huge line?
As if drawn by a power outside of her body, Leah quickly exited the ship. Her weary steps echoed against the cold alcove, which looked like it had been carved by water for the last millennia. Everything felt old and sacred, like it belonged to a forgotten world.
She stopped at the edge of the alcove, far enough away that the rain crashing against the ground wouldn’t touch her.
She inhaled deeply once more. Before she could stop herself, she closed her eyes, basking in the feel of fresh openness. She might have been on an alien planet, but her very human instincts, long dormant after living in the crowded city, recognized nature in whatever form it came. This wasn’t quite as impressive as the garden, but it made her feel even better, in some twisted way.
It smelled like freedom and danger, but the kind she wanted. Like adventure, after a lifetime of keeping it safe and still losing.
She opened her eyes, fully grasping what was happening, for the first time.
She was on an alien planet, light-years away from home.
She was experiencing something few humans would even dare to dream of.
Her entire journey to Quillon was marred by a sacrifice she was unwilling to make, but for now, in this moment, she let herselfenjoy. A warm, comforting feeling spread out across her back.
She was seeing the wonder of the exploding hurricane roiling above a tranquil sea of orange. She was witnessing the alien rain smacking against the planet with all its might. She was enthralled by the Quillon architecture spreading out before her.
This was a moment she would never forget.
Leah knew she had to do the unthinkable before she left, but for now, for this moment, this breath, this flutter of her eyelashes, she was going to enjoy simply being here.
The thought broke something inside her. Not in a bad way. Not like an emotional scar she would never recover from.
Instead, it felt like something had been keeping her soul caged in a sea of worry, and the chains were finally starting to break. Not fully yet, no. It would probably take years, perhaps an entire lifetime, to do that.
But one of the chain links had been chipped and was slowly easing away, letting her breathe without the mountain of responsibilities resting on her shoulders.
It was an intoxicating feeling. She’d forgotten what it was like to relax. To not be on edge, worried about the next catastrophe she would have to solve, without having the confidence that she would ever be able to pull it off.
The sensation lulled her so hard and fast, Leah swayed on the spot.
She almost lost her balance.
She quickly adjusted her legs, hands splaying out.
“Careful,” Taryn said, much closer than he should have been. Ah, so that was the warm feeling spreading up and down her back.
Too late.
The tips of her right hand fingers breached past the alcove’s barrier. A drop of pink, Quillon rain made contact with her skin, burning it.
“Hey!” she yelped, yanking her fingers back. The tips were red, like she’d held them too close to the stove. “Your rain’s acidic?”
“Apparently it is for humans,” Taryn said, voice lower. “I am sorry. I didn’t think to warn you.”
“It’s fine, you didn’t know.”
“Even so, it is my duty to protect you.” His gaze darkened as he looked at her fingers. “I can heal that for you.”
Leah’s knees had gone a bit weak when he said he wanted to protect her. She gently licked the tip of her finger to keep from saying something completely stupid, like “Yes, please”. Hey, it looked like a burn, alien cause or not, and she always stuck her fingers in her mouth when she’d burn them while she cooked.
