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A long time passes. The dust lingers in the air as small rocks continue to tumble down the sides of the valley. The adrenaline is starting to wear off, and I’m starting to think about other things besides an invisible pursuer, things like being rescued by a hot, olive-skinned badass with magic time-freezing powers. The way he’d shielded me under the armor of his own back, how his powerful warrior’s arms had closed around my body… Holyshit. I’m usually the one doing the protecting, not the other way around. Getting a little taste of that was way more exciting than it should’ve been, but I amnotwilling to let this little flame of mine flare up into anything hotter. How dumb would I have to be to let my feelings get the better of me yet again? I’m already tied up wanting an unavailable man back home; the last thing I need is for it to happen again here.
But goddamn, it’s not easy.
There must be something wrong with me. I’ve been in constant danger and fear for my life since getting here, and I still have a serious case of horny brain. I should be thinking about surviving this place, about getting home, not getting laid. But every time I look at Kalistratos, I can’t help myself.
“Come on, show yourself,” Kalistratos mutters. “I know you’re out there.”
“Guys,” I say. “I know this sounds crazy, but… What if that was just a regular old landslide? I mean, look at this valley.”
Kalistratos looks uncertain. He exchanges a glance with Alyx, who looks…like a cat.
“I was certain I felt something,” Alyx says.
“I did too,” Kalistratos agrees.
“Yeah, the feeling of a metric fuck-ton of rock falling into the river,” I say.
We wait a little longer, and the only thing that shows up is a buzzard that circles overhead for a while before flying away. Kalistratos takes the lead and the three of us quietly back away from the cliff. They’re still being cautious.
“We go off the road, then,” Kalistratos says. “It’ll add a day to our journey for those of us bound to two legs. Alyx, you go ahead to Athenos and see if you can collect any information. Tyler and I will meet you there.”
With a silent nod, Alyx darts away through the scrub brush and takes back to the sky as a raven.
Walking off-road is more of a shitshow than I could’ve expected. I’m not much of a hiker to begin with, and as comfortable as the sandals Kalistratos made are, they don’t have much support on uneven terrain. If only I hadn’t lost my damn shoes in that swamp.
Kalistratos is being really cautious and both of us are moving slowly. Every so often, he pulls me aside and we stop under the shade of a tree or a rock and just wait. He stares like an eagle at the way we came, almost unblinking, and only when he’s certain no one is on our tail does he nod for me to keep going. Neither of us speaks. I can feel how tense he is. Maybe I still don’t fully understand the danger he and Alyx face being Phoenikos.
After a few hours, he finally seems to relax. We stop under an olive tree, and Kalistratos passes me the waterskin bladder. I take a long drink. My legs are still a little wobbly from the adrenaline rush.
“Thanks for saving my ass yet again,” I tell him as I pass back the bladder.
He nods, drinks from the bladder, and splashes some water onto his face. I hadn’t noticed how exhausted he is. His eyes are half-lidded and fluttery, like someone who has come to the end of a marathon.
“Kalistratos?” I say, worried. “Are you alright?”
He leans against the tree and waves me away, nodding.Then he slowly sinks to the ground and sits at the base of the tree. I crouch beside him.
“Hey. I can’t have my only guide here dying on me.”
“I’ll be fine. Freezing time for both of us, that took a lot more out of me than I—” He exhales slowly. Sweat dots his forehead. “Dammit…”
“What do you need?” I ask.
“Just a rest,” he replies with his eyes closed. “A breather.”
I don’t like this. I’ve seen people in this state before when they’ve been out in the hot sun for too long and are on the verge of delirium. The fact that Kalistratos’s condition changed so quickly scares the shit out of me. There’s no ambulance I can call here, no doctor I can rush him to.
“Hey.” I shake him gently and his head lolls from side to side. He barely manages to summon the strength to look up at me before slumping against me. I catch him by the shoulders and his face falls against the side of my neck. His breath is slow and shallow. I carefully lay him down on the ground.
What do I do? It doesn’t seem like he’s in any danger, but what do I know about how phoenixes work?
But I do know a little bit. Sustenance. He needs food.
How the hell am I going to get him food?
It’s glaringly obvious how incredibly reliant I am on modern conveniences. I always figured I’d do just fine in a zombie apocalypse. Apparently not.
I unclip my cloak and spread it out onto the ground, then somehow manage to get Kalistratos onto it. I slip his travel satchel underneath his head. His chest rises and falls steadily—he’s asleep. Fast asleep. Not dead, thank God, but we might be here for a while.
