Page 23 of Rok's Captive
Sitting up some more, I squint away the sleep and take in my surroundings. It’s morning and nothing has changed. I’m still stuck here. In barren land.
Still the same towering rock that’s inviting me to climb it, then fall and kill myself. Still the same tan smooth sand with?—
Something catches my eye and I sit up some more.
A strange pattern in the sand, like straight lines but…not quite right. I pause, crouching down to look closer. For a moment, it almost looks like tracks of a rake. My heart rate kicks up—who would be raking sand in the middle of nowhere?—until I spot the culprit: a dried-up tumbleweed caught on a small rock, its brittle branches scraping back and forth in the wind.
I snort. Well, what do you know? There are plants here after all. Dead ones. Fantastic.
But wait…plants. Even dead ones mean something once grew here. Which means there has to be water somewhere. Maybe not on the surface, but underground…
I push myself to my feet with renewed determination. Where there’s one plant, there might be more. Where there are plants, there might be life. And where there’s life…
Rescue. Maybe.
It’s time to make a decision.
I could head back to the transport. It would be the safe choice. I know the direction, I have enough water if I’m careful, and at least there would be other people there. We could try something else. Maybe send a larger group next time, or try a different direction.
Or…
I stand up, brushing sand from my clothes, and walk around the base of the rock formation. Maybe there’s something I missed. A cave, a crevice, anything that might offer more information on where this plant came from.
There’s nothing. Just more rock, more sand.
But as I complete my circuit and face outward from the formation, I notice something on the horizon. Another structure, similar to this one but different in shape. From this vantage point—which is higher than the area around the transport—I can see what might be a series of rock formations stretching into the distance.
I squint, trying to judge how far away the next one might be. Another day’s walk? Maybe less?
“This is stupid,” I tell myself. “You have limited water. The smart move is to go back.”
But something tells me to keep going. Call it intuition, desperation, or just plain stubbornness, but I can’t shake the feeling that turning back now would be giving up our best chance at survival.
I check my supplies again. If I’m extremely careful with my water, I might have enough to reach the next formation and still make it back to the transport. It’s a risk, but at this point, what isn’t?
“Sorry, Jacqui,” I murmur, turning my back to the direction of the transport. “I need to see what’s out there.” But just for security, in case of anything, I leave a message.
Using tiny stones all around me, I create an arrow pointing to the other rock formation with a ‘BRB’. If they come, Jacqui and any of the others will get what I mean.
But it won’t get to that point.
I’ll make my way back.
Chapter6
TRESPASSERS WILL BE THOROUGHLY MISUNDERSTOOD
ROK
The male sleeps against my clan’s boundary marker.
I crouch, watching from my position among the sandstone outcroppings. My skin ripples subtly, adjusting its amber-gold patterns to match the surrounding rocks.
This traveler has committed an outrageous offense.
In all my cycles, I have never witnessed such a blatant territorial challenge. The boundary markers are sacred to all Drakav—to rest against one is to claim it, to challenge the clan’s right to the territory beyond. Even rival clans respect the protocol of proper challenges.
Yet this small, strange male simply collapsed against our marker as if it were nothing more than a convenient resting spot.
