Page 98 of Bred by the Alien Prince

"I'll make it work," I said without a plan. I didn't want to return to that planet, but I sure as hell didn't want to die, either. If push came to shove, I could use my jiva to lift the shuttle enough into orbit for Connor to come and get me, but that would exert massive amounts of energy, and I would need a long time to recover. There was no time to think about it now.

I went to the launchpad, the large, near-empty room beneath the cargo bay section. We've yet to use this room. However, during my inspection, I noticed the small two-seater craft seated on the launch track. Whether or not it worked, I had no idea.

That man arrived behind me along with the boy who followed him like a lost lamb. "Remember, it grows on the mountain to the east. It's all white with blue veins."

"There's no need to tell me. You're coming with me," I said with a smile.

"I'm already prepared," he smirked.

"I shall come too! I wish to return home!" The child ran over but stopped when the man held up his hand to stop him.

"Kid, I'm not going out of my way to take you home. I will only get the plant." I said, losing my patience.

"But I helped you. You promised to return me to the Lucani!"

"Remember the sacred texts." The man placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "See this journey as a test."

"What will the test reveal?" The boy settled down, but his eyes watered.

"You will figure it out on your own."

He climbed into the shuttle's back seat while I leaped into the front. "Better get the hell out of here, or your journey is gonna be you sucked into space," I said to the boy, closing us in and turning the little ship on. "Connor, prepare to launch us."

"Yes, sir," he said before giving a Valisian countdown.

We shot out from the bay, and already the damn thing was shaky and hard to control. "Damn thing, do what I want!"

"We must hurry," the man breathed. I could hear the small tremble in his voice. "The planet is being swallowed as we speak."

"You have fifteen minutes," Connor reiterated his sentiments.

"Yeah, I know." I held my hand to my mouth. The stinging in my throat signaled another bout of coughing. I tasted the sulfur of my blood in my mouth and swallowed. The last thing I needed was a glob of my bloody spit to cause a malfunction.

I steered the vehicle through the atmosphere, the vessel rocking the whole way through. The sudden shift in force dropped us like a sack of metal. I heard the other almost whimpering behind me. Hell, I didn't blame him at all. My feet felt hot; the force turned the outer structure into a ball of red-hot fire.

"Shit!"

"Is there something you can do?!" The man yelled, his composure gone.

"I'm releasing the coolants now, but I'm unsure if it's enough!"

"Turn more to the left. The mountain area is freezing."

"That's just what I needed to hear," I said, following his instructions.

We hit an ice barge that slowed our fiery descent but still slid off the edge. I deployed the parachute, bringing us slowly to a mountain cliff.

"We made it," I said, lifting the latch. The cold struck me hard. My armor was gone, and so was the body suit I would wear that would offer some form of protection. But I still wore the chef's tunic I escaped in, complete with no shoes. While my new companion wore a light cloth and pants with sandals. We were both unprepared for this venture, but I didn't plan on staying long, and we were Valisians after all. It would take a lot to freeze us, though this planet was giving it its best shot. This was the only other planet I've encountered with an aerial ice barge, but usually, those were pure ice worlds.

"Some should be nearby," the man climbed from the vessel and pointed ahead.

We trekked the mountain, leaving a small trail behind us.

"Who are you? Why did the boy worship you and call you a God?" I asked, making ridiculous small talk to keep the focus off my freezing limbs.

"The universe holds many wonders, some great and others small. I am but a minnow."

"If you keep talking like that, I will leave you on this mountain."

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