Page 12 of 3 Secrets to Love
“There are no supplies inside.” I leaned closer to her, my voice soft to bring her to our side. “It contains three children, abducted from Eurebly and brought here to die.” Not the full truth but enough to get the reaction I wanted.
“Oh, no!” She placed her hand on her chest. “I didn’t know. I wouldn’t have sent them out there if I had. Our orbit is going to take us out of the quadrants soon, so unscheduled ships arrive all the time to get supplies here before that happens. I never expected something like that to happen here.”
“Well, it did.” Phalon placed his hands on the counter. “And we need something faster than a chantate so we can find them and bring them back.”
“I have a rowem that’s fast, but I don’t know if it will be fast enough to get you to them before the storm hits. Once the snow flies, you won’t be able to move.”
“We’ll take our chances.” Phalon held out his wrist, ready to pay the rental fee.
I darted in front of him. “They’re my responsibility.” Plus, he had a whole jet to replace whenever we returned to Eurebly.
The woman scanned my wrist before we had a chance to argue. “And so you know, your comm systems don’t work out there. I barely get reception from this pole when I’m facing your quadrants.”
“A risk we’re willing to take.” I took the ticket from her and headed back outside.
In the short amount of time we’d been in the spaceport, the air had changed. Even with my gear back on, I noticed the wind had increased, and instead of the bitter nip I had felt earlier, the air had warmed slightly and had a dampness to it.
I showed the man at the stable our ticket, his frill and snow-covered beard the only part of him visible under all his gear. He saddled up the rowem for us. With its springy and powerful back legs under thick, white fur, the creature could very well get us to the crate quickly. But I didn’t know how the storm would affect our journey.
When the sled was hooked up behind the creature, the man handed us some extra blankets. “Stay on the marked trail. This guy knows where he’s going, but he’ll veer off if you guide him the wrong way.”
“Okay.” I slipped onto the sled with Phalon beside me. I held the reins loosely, not wanting to end up lost in a storm. If the rowem knew the way, I’d let him take us there and look for the woolly chantate hauling the crate along the way.
The rowem took off with a jolt. Without thinking, I grabbed Phalon to steady myself. Though I only saw his eyes, I was sure he chuckled at me. And then he wrapped his arm around me, pulling me in close as we rode into the freezing tundra. If circumstances had been different, it could have been a date. After all, he had asked to spend time with me after the meet and greet. But our current situation didn’t allow for such enjoyment.
We didn’t get far before we could no longer see the spaceport. But the storm caught up with us just as quick. It started out as large, delicate flakes falling gently from the sky, but as the wind increased, the flakes progressed into cold, sharp pellets being whipped at us from every direction. And the howl of the wind made the ride eerie. The rowem chortled his objection to being out in the weather, but I didn’t know if turning around would make any difference. We weresurrounded by whiteness with no way to tell where we were going. I hoped the creature kept us on the right course but had no way of knowing.
The storm didn’t let up. I couldn’t tell how much time had passed or how fast we traveled. I nuzzled into Phalon’s parka, shielding my eyes from the snow pellets.
“Wait.” Phalon pulled the reins as I glanced up. “I think I see something.”
Peering around, I tried to find what he saw but couldn’t spot anything other than snow and more snow.
“Maybe I was mistaken.” He shook the reins to get the rowem moving again, but the creature reared up with a loud bellow before jolting forward. The lurch launched the sled forward, smacking into the back of the creature. It kicked behind, knocking me out of the sled. I tried to grab its harness, but the material snapped, freeing the rowem to go its own direction and leaving us behind in the storm. Glancing around me, I tried to spot Phalon in the sled, but I could barely see my hand when I held it in front of my face.
“Phalon!” He couldn’t be too far away, though I didn’t know if he’d be able to hear me over the wind. “Phalon, where are you?”
I started walking in the direction I thought the sled should have been, but I didn’t find it. After backtracking and going another direction, I was still alone in the storm.
“Phalon!” I screamed, a sob escaping right after.
Maybe we should have waited. Lost in the snow wasn’t helping us find the triplets. I couldn’t even find Phalon. And because of my urgency, I would freeze to death all by myself. I sat in the snow and covered my eyes. Hopefully the weather would take me quick.
But it didn’t. After an unknown amount of time and endless thoughts and regrets, like taking the chance to do more with a certain former racer, I opened my eyes.
A figure walked toward me. At first, I thought it was Phalon, though the parka was different, and the being wore goggles. I didn’t know whether to scream or jump for joy, but I did get to my feet to greet them.
Out of nowhere, I felt a blow to the side of my head. I fell into the snow, blacking out as the cold wetness touched the skin at the corner of my eye.
When I came to, my head pounded with pain, but I was out of the blustery weather. The outer layers of my clothing had been removed, leaving me in my borrowed flight suit, and I lay on the ground. Light danced around me, illuminating shadows along the wall. I dared a glance to my left and I gasped.
The Kalpierenes I had been searching for sat on a stone bench. They smiled when they realized I looked at them.
“Miss Xacalla, you’re awake.”
Chapter Eight
Phalon
