Page 13 of 3 Secrets to Love
“Xacalla!” I screamed over and over, trying to spot any figure or even a shadow through the thick, blowing snow. Instead, I only heard the wind in response, no sign of anyone or anything anywhere. It was all my fault. I’d allowed the kids to be taken right in front of me and then lost Xacalla in a blizzard. The chances of finding any of them again were nearly impossible. But I refused to give up.
In a zigzag pattern, I weaved back and forth around the area where I thought we’d fallen off. I had to clear my eyelashes several times from the snow sticking to them yet had no luck locating my former teammate’s baby sister. Stars, I’d spent too much time focusing on what I wanted to do with her rather than staying in the moment and completing my obligation to meet the three little ones—though not as young as we’d originally believed. I’d proven once again why space racers, even retired ones, weren’t dependable or trustworthy.
Coddleswap!I had to find her. I couldn’t return to Eurebly, couldn’t face her brother or anyone else in her family ever again if I didn’t. That is, if Zander even let me live.
Instead of continuing ahead to search for her, I decided to head back to the sleigh. Or where I thought we’d fallen out of the sleigh. It was hard to see anything, but I believed I had a good sense of direction from flying.
I walked for what felt like forever, finding nothing but more snow around me. I didn’t know if I got turned around at some point, because when I looked behind me, my footprints quickly filled in. I could have been traveling in circles and not known.
The snow became deeper. My movements slowed. No matter how much I tried to keep going, exhaustion crept into mymuscles. I had no tingling in my extremities, so I knew my gear was keeping me warm. But tiredness overwhelmed me. The backs of my legs tightened with each step. And my vision blurred.
There seemed to be a darker spot up ahead. Perhaps I’d finally located the sleigh. Regardless of what it was, I needed to rest there for a few moments. If I didn’t, I would pass out from fatigue and be buried in the snow before I could help anyone.
I hadn’t been hallucinating. There really was something ahead, but it was a small knoll in the landscape instead of the sleigh. I sat on the raised land and rested my hands on my knees as I tried to steady my breath. I had to come up with some type of plan. I could wait out the storm and locate Xacalla after finding a portable X-ray machine. But that plan was based on her surviving in the cold and snow. I really didn’t want to take that chance. I needed to rest for a bit then start searching again. But in what direction? Too tuckered, I couldn’t remember what direction I’d come from. Stars, I was in trouble.
Ready to resume searching, I pressed my palm onto the hill to help myself up. That’s when the ground started to move under me. Not only did the terrain shake, but a low grumbling overpowered the whistle of the blowing snow. I didn’t remember ever learning that Arodin had ground tremors. Yet, the landscape continued to move below me, and the part I sat on seemed to rise.
A bellow erupted from the ground as I rolled onto a flatter area. No, the hill did not make that roar but a giant creature who rose out of the snow.
The blizzard let up enough for me to see the beast circle around to face me, its large beady eyes focusing on me while it snapped its jaws. I had no idea what it was, whether to stay still and hope it ignored me, or to run. I didn’t have time to figure it out, the quadruped charging before I could dive out of its way.
It lowered its head, sending its snout between my legs. I tried to grab hold of it, but there was nothing to clutch. Suddenly, I flew into the air then landed with a thump and a crunch. My vision disappeared, but I didn’t need to see to feel the weight of the creature on my arm. Bones had snapped. I screamed, but quickly cut my outburst short, hoping the beast didn’t turn around to do more damage to my body. I tried to stand up, thankful it hadn’t taken out one of my legs. I had to run, get away from the animal before it came at me again.
But my luck ran out when I tripped in the snow, falling face forward. When I hit the ground, I blacked out.
When I came to, I wiggled my extremities to ensure I hadn’t been eaten. Fingers. Toes. Everything seemed to be still attached. Though my left arm radiated with pain. Wherever I’d ended up, it was warm. Overly warm. I sweated. Perhaps the beast had swallowed me whole. Feeling around with my good hand, I realized I was laying in the snow with something heavy over me. Had I been found and dragged to an outcropping? The weight didn’t have much give like a blanket would have. Maybe a bunch more snow fell on me while I’d been unconscious.
I shifted, trying not to put any pressure on my left arm, to see if I could escape the weight on top of me. That’s when I ended up with a mouthful of fur. Somehow, my face covering had been pushed aside, and I quickly learned what dirty and wet rowem fur tasted like. It was still alive, radiating a lot of heat. And when I concentrated, I could feel the expansion and contraction of its chest as it breathed. So, it wasn’t dead. Somehow the creature had come back and found me then decided to lay on me. At least, I believed it to be the same one who’d left me stranded. I was thankful not to be abandoned to die alone in the storm, but I needed to get it off me and find Xacalla. If she remained out in the cold, she could be buried and suffocated under a pile of snow or have frozen to death whilesearching for me and the Kalpierenes. Not an outcome I wanted to admit to myself or one I wanted to have to tell her brother and the rest of her family.
After I nudged the rowem a few times, it wobbled to its feet before gaining its footing. It didn’t take off in any direction, as I expected it to, but stared at me as if waiting for my command. Or maybe it waited for me to climb on it. Would the creature take me to the spaceport where we’d rented it? Perhaps it knew where I could find Xacalla. I had to find her. Though I hope she’d gotten inside somewhere, I had to know either way. The snow had cleared a lot since we’d fallen off the sleigh. Yet, I couldn’t see any sign of a path or any type of building in any direction. As the rowem stood there, I pulled myself onto its back with my good arm. From on its back, I could see the area around me better and move faster than I could in the knee-deep snow. Once I grabbed hold of the harness that had remained on it, the creature took off. I considered trying to steer it but figured it knew the planet far better than I did. Plus, I didn’t know how successful I would be with only one usable arm. I didn’t want to end up going in circles again.
The rowem ran and ran. Farther than Xacalla and I had come on the sled. But I only temporarily doubted its sense of direction. The creature would want food and a chance to get out of the elements as much as me. At least, I hoped so.
I closed my eyes and leaned closer to the rowem’s muscular body, presuming the position change would help it run faster. It didn’t take long for my curiosity to win out, and I dared a glance over the creature’s shoulder at the scenery in front of us, anticipating nothing but more snow. Instead, I saw buildings ahead. As we raced forward, I recognized the spaceport. The rowem had taken me back. But instead of feeling excitement and relief, my gut twisted. I worried Xacalla wouldn’t be there, that she was lost somewhere in the endless snow.
When the creature reached the stable, it paused long enough for me to slide off before leaving me in search of food.
I trudged through the deep snow to the spaceport, thankful for the sudden blast of warmth when I got inside the first set of doors. Waiting for them to close seemed to take forever. I needed to know if Xacalla was in there. Yet, as I peered through the next set of doors at what I could see, my gut clenched even tighter. I considered rushing back out, but I wouldn’t even know where to start looking for her. I needed to go inside, find out for sure whether she was in there or not. And if not, make a plan to search for her and the triplets.
Chapter Nine
Xacalla
“Here, eat this.” A large Arodian man handed me a bowl with some kind of bland-looking paste inside, the frills on his head laying back in a relaxed position.
“Thank you.” I took it from him, trying not to gag at the sight of the strange food, even though his body language indicated he meant no harm. Eating wasn’t a priority. Though I was thankful at being reunited with the three Kalpierenes, I still worried where Phalon had ended up, if he’d made it out of the snow or was buried somewhere out in the vast expanse of the planet.
When I noticed the children nodding at me with wide eyes and excited smiles, I decided to give the goo a try. I hadn’t been given any utensils to eat it, and it seemed too thick to slurp it out of the bowl, so I dipped a finger into the paste to test the temperature of it and get a tiny amount to taste. The food was warm to the touch but not too hot. It had no scent but had a hint of sweetness when I licked the sample from the tip of my finger. I took a bigger helping next time, feeling more confident about the concoction. Though with the mouthful, I got the full experience of the thick, gooey texture. I quickly covered my mouth to avoid anyone seeing me gag. I likely needed nourishment after going without anything to eat for so long, but I didn’t know how much I could handle, especially while worry still rolled through my stomach. After a few smaller portions, I set the bowl down, unable to finish the rest.
“So, are you okay?” I asked the triplets. “How did you end up here?” I likely should have asked them as soon as I saw them, but I hadn’t exactly been coherent, and they did seem unharmed.
“We are well, thank you.” Igo folded their hands in their lap. “Condor managed to find us before we froze to death in the crateour captors had stuffed us into. He helped us warm up and fed us just like he did with you.”
I glanced over to Condor, remembering the moment before I blacked out. “Hey, did you hit me?”
He shook his head, his frills standing straight up. “No, it was a ruggersh. It saw you at the same time as I did. If I hadn’t been there to scare it away, it would have dragged you off and ate you.”
I shuddered at the thought of how many times I could have died on Arodin. With the children located, all I had to do was find Phalon before we could fly away from the planet and return to Eurebly to get them back in the care of their guards, if any survived. And I wouldn’t have to worry about another three hundred ways that could end my life.
