Page 4 of Veras
El viento, orNito, as I liked to call him, was softer than a breath, the silkiest whisp of wind, who always found me at my weakest moments. I knew with every fiber of my being that Nito was alive, sentient, and devoted to me. I silently gulped in air, feeling my knotted muscles relax second by second. The wisp ofwind flew up my arm and burrowed in my hair at the nape of my neck.
Hi, Nito.
Three soft gusts blasted my ear, right where it tickled me most, and my dark thoughts eased. His way of saying hello reduced my panic. Touch, from a soft breeze, centered me.
What would I do without you?I blew him a kiss. I never spoke aloud because bringing attention to my mouth only brought trouble, but Nito loved the feel of my breath, and I couldn’t resist.
He went into overdrive, zipping around my body, under and over the dirty sack that clothed me.Carajo, I would shank my best friend for a shower.
Eventually, my heart rate slowed, allowing me to readjust my thinking. An opportunity had fallen into my lap. I’d been allowed outside of these endless mountains for the very first time since my abduction. I was too smart to let the chance go.
Wake up and pay attention.
“Welcome-come.” The supreme spread his arms wide and waited for a response from the crowd. The only problem? The Aavvee couldn’t hear him. The guards had messed up again and hadn’t activated his microphone. The supreme dismissed his harem and waved a three-fingered hand to the guard who fumbled with the staff. “Fix-fixthis,” he hissed at pretty much everyone on the stage.
I hesitated a fraction of a second, reluctant to reveal my knowledge about the mechanics of this place. But when I saw the leader’s feathers frill, I crawled over to the guard and showed him where to press, gliding my hand over the buttons on the side of the staff. The alien technology thrummed with power.
I’d spent countless nights dreaming about what I could do if I ever got my hands on one of those powerful devices. I scootedaway and caught Inkonexo watching me. Far too closely. My heart slammed against my ribcage.
An electric hum signaled success, and the supreme spoke to his tribe of thousands, filling almost every inch of the massive stadium. They’d cleared the grounds, and the spectators crammed themselves in the floating seats surrounding the stage.
“I have promised you much. Today-dayis the day we discover the mysteries of this planet.”
A crackling rumble broke through the massive arena, causing the Aavvee to twitter and flutter their feathers. A seam grew above our heads, spreading into a giant crack in the forcefield above. Heat blasted us. The giant blue sun, appearing close enough to touch, peeked out from behind fuchsia clouds caught in fierce winds. Besides the imposing black mountains, desolation stretched as far as the eye could see. No animals, no plant life—nothing but ebony sand. The violent beauty of this planet made me tremble.
“Watch-watch!” The supreme pointed up to the heavens.
A craft grew from a dot in the sky to the size of a small freighter. Gleaming silver blinded me for a second, reflecting the intense glare of the sun. The ship sped above the rose-colored clouds, rocking back and forth from the force of the squalls.
A roaringboommade my ears ache. Thousands of Aavvee in the stands screeched and snapped their feathers, chirping in distress.
Nito rushed inside my sack dress, and before I could blink, eight golden tornadoes as tall as the endless black mountain range barreled toward the craft. The largest twister whirled forward and decimated the spaceship. It disintegrated.
The other tornadoes sped forward and then reversed, circling the largest of the bunch. They spun around as if searching for more to destroy, eventually slowing and floating in front ofthe arena. Back and forth. Do they sense we’re inside? Menace radiated off them.
It all made sense now. Why the Aavvee traveled by portal, why I’d never heard any mention of spaceships, and why all of the inhabitants livedinsidethe mountains rather than on the surface of the planet.
“These-theseabominations are protecting something. They-theykeep us from claiming the prize jewel deep within the center of the planet. Where-wheretheGlrtsstllllorogggis rich and flows freely,” the supreme boomed.
The crowd watched in silent horror as the tornadoes circled. No one responded to the supreme or even paid attention to him, completely fixated on the glittering windstorms. Destructive yet so beautiful, each wisp of wind glittered like diamonds in the sun.
“Attention-tion!” he screeched. The crowd only recovered when the tornadoes eventually moved away. Reluctantly, the Aavvee settled and returned their attention to the supreme.
He tapped his beak together in alien glee. “Today-day, we have a remedy for this problem. Bring-bringout thebrutoo.”
Inkonexo sidled up to the squat leader and pulled him to the side. “This is not wise.”
“It-itis not for you to decide.” The supreme snapped his head feathers. “We-wewill use the beast to our advantage.”
“I want more time to study him. He may be the key.”
“He-heis the key. I have decreed it! Did-didyou not hear me?”
“Let me get closer. Study him.”
The supreme spun on Inkonexo. They two Aavvee stood eye to eye, which was surprising because Inkonexo seemed so imposing and so much larger. “You-youchallenge my decision?”
The two postured, clearly in an alien version of,whose dick-tongue is biggest.
