Page 52 of Alien's Eternal Mate

I never asked for this...but maybe I always wanted it, even if I think I don't deserve it.

My newfound popularity would not go to my head, however. The thought of Arael being in danger kept me humble...and scared.

This has to work! If I can't get her back, I think I'll just die.

All of this ran through my head while I tried to maintain the same level of aggressive posturing as the other warriors. I didn't want them to lose confidence in me, because without their help I had no chance of getting Arael back.

Pageus spoke out of the side of his mouth.

"They're waiting for you to tell them it's time to fly."

I shot him a grateful look, and then held my silver tube up in the air.

"Warriors of the Starlost! We fly!"

I launched myself into the air, pouring on a little extra power for a burst of speed. My control improved seemingly by the moment, but I envied the smoother flights of the other warriors.

We streaked through the darkening sky, stars winking down at us like shining jewels. I spent so much time poring over old tomes and artifacts, I rarely took the time to appreciate just how beautiful my new world truly was.

Tracking a flying force would be impossible, but fortunately Pageus knew the path to Jank's territory, and the likely places his raider force would hole up in for the night.

Our first few forays into these strongholds proved fruitless. Every bulwark was unmanned, every window dark, every fireplace cold.

I grew more desperate and afraid for Arael with each new false lead. The moon rose high in the night sky, and I wondered how many hours we had until dawn. Our plan relied upon the element of surprise and the cover of darkness. Take away either of those advantages, and we would be like the proverbial lambs to the slaughter.

At last, we flew over the jagged ridge of a red stone mountain and spotted a cluster of fires. I nearly lost my nerve when I saw just how badly outnumbered we truly were.

Stick to the plan. It will work. It has to work.

I gave the signal to the warriors manning the sky sled. They handed control over to me. I would not trust one of the "shoot first, think never" warriors with such an important responsibility.

I took the flywheel up higher into the sky while the rest of my forces got into position. Jark's men had surely set sentries to look for an attack from the sky. I hoped to fly high enough to be all but imperceptible to them.

I put the air cart into hover mode, and activated the flywheel. I'd rigged up a sensor to keep it from going off before it reached the appropriate height from the ground. Otherwise, my own warriors would be caught in the blast.

My own warriors? I've truly gone off the reservation. I'm a scientist, not a warrior. So why am I acting like a man of action instead of a man of letters?

The answer blossomed in my mind like a nuclear bomb.

Idiot. I'm a fool. A fool who's fallen in love.

I knew it to be true. I'd never loved anyone before, not really. Certainly I'd never experienced romantic love for longer than the time it took for some sweaty grunting in a dark room.

Yet, I had no other word for what I felt. I would do anything for Arael. I would die for her in the most painful ways and feel no regrets. I would give up my last morsel of food just to make sure that she could eat.

If it's not love, then I don't want to know what is.

I looked down at the fires of the enemy camp, now mere pin pricks of brightness. I activated the flywheel. A deep, resonant hum sounded through the chilly air. Faint blue lights winked into existence along the blades of the fan.

I knew they would spot the flywheel coming, eventually, but doubted they would have time to do anything about it.

I took a deep breath, and then shoved the flywheel off of the sled with my boot. It plummeted toward the ground, dwindling into a tiny speck until it was only about ten feet from the ground.

A cascade of bluish light pulsed out from the flywheel for a brilliant three seconds, making it a second sun at night.

That was the signal. I'd better join the warriors.

I dove downward, leaving the sky sled on standby mode. Not content with merely falling, I poured power into my harness until I shot through the air so fast I could barely breathe.

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