Page 10 of Shadow Mark

He must have understood because he scooped her up into his arms like an adult picking up a misbehaving cat. He held her awkwardly, like he didn’t want to get mud on himself. Speaking again, he took on a chiding tone. Yeah, totally talking down to a naughty kitty.

“He says this is faster,” Sarah explained. “We’ll get your foot taken care of when we get back to the ship.”

Ship. They had a ship.

They made their way through the trees. Baris carried her as if she weighed nothing. It was…surprisingly nice. Contact with another living being was comforting. An introvert at heart, four months alone was simply too long to be by herself. Apparently, she needed a bare minimum of human contact. Well, people contact. The physical touch was nice.

Up close, it was easy to see their differences. If she closed her eyes, those vanished. His arms were strong, and his shoulders comfortable to rest her head against. She resisted the urge to press her ear to his chest to listen to his heart. One heart or two?

She stroked his sleeve, marveling at the silky-smooth fabric. It was definitely expensive.

He glanced down at her, his regal nose wrinkled, and then his eyes narrowed, like she had offended him. Or ruined his favorite shirt.

Lenore blushed. She knew she was filthy and smelled. She did the best she could washing herself without soap. She was going through some things, all right, and didn’t need his attitude.

“You’ve probably got questions,” Sarah said. “You’re in the Arcosian kingdom. My husband and I are searching the kingdom for other humans who’ve been portaled.”

“I’ve been here for months,” Lenore said. Alone, exhausted, and just a little bit jealous that Sarah got portaled with her husband. It made sense, if they were in proximity to each other.

“The kingdom is big. Like several-planets-and-a-couple-of-star-systems big. You have no idea how relieved I am to find you.”

They entered the clearing with the cabin. A spaceship, sleek and white like it came directly out of a big-budget movie, dwarfed the cabin. Lenore’s mind just accepted the reality that a spaceship was parked next to her hovel like it was no big thing.

People in black uniforms milled about. Even from a distance, it was easy to tell these people weren’t exactly human. The gray skin was a big giveaway. One such person walked up to the cabin, eyes fixed on a tablet-like device in his hand—assuming from the tall, muscular build they were male—and went inside her cabin.

Lenore’s back went up instantly. That was her cabin.

Sarah continued to talk about something. Probably important stuff about the rescue, but Lenore tuned her out.

“Hey. Hey!” she shouted, pushing out to Baris’ hold. “Don’t just walk into people’s homes uninvited!”

Baris barked an order. The alien man jolted in surprise, nearly dropping his tablet. He said something in the same smooth, rolling language Baris spoke.

Reaching the cabin, Lenore limped her way up the steps. The alien man appeared young with a round face and big eyes. Of course, aliens in this kingdom—Arcos or whatever—could just have that sort of face, but it struck her as particularly youthful.

“Are you a baby? He’s a baby,” she said, turning to Sarah.

“Oh, Luca’s the baby,” Sarah said in an amused tone. “Let’s head inside the ship and take a look at your foot.”

“The cabin is fine,” Lenore said, declining the offer. No doubt the ship would be more hygienic, but her gut told her she’d be more comfortable on her turf. Besides, she wouldn’t want to muddy up the shiny spaceship.

“Sure. Let’s get out of the rain. Luca, bring us a medical kit and something to drink? Food?” Sarah paused for Lenore’s reaction, who nodded. “Food. And shoes. Actually, can you bring us a welcome kit?”

Who was embarrassed that her stomach rumbled at the mention of food? Not Lenore.

Baris remained outside the cabin, looking exquisite in the rain, even with the front of his shirt muddy, the wet fabric clinging to him, which was just unfair. Fine, she meant. His staying outside was just fine. She didn’t need him criticizing the decor.

“Austere, but not too bad.” Sarah looked around the cabin.

Lenore saw the cabin with fresh eyes, as it must appear to Sarah. The furniture was minimal: a cot with a thin foam mattress, one table that wobbled, and a wooden chair. The cabin had no interior lights, just a single lantern that barely provided enough illumination to qualify as a night light. The interior was gloomy and dingy. Lenore had swept the floor clean of debris but lacked the soap and scrub brushes to really scour the place. Keeping herself clean was a struggle.

Did the cabin have a funk? She sniffed. Maybe? Probably. Most likely.

“I’m sorry. Hiring an interior decorator wasn’t in my budget,” Lenore grumbled, covering her embarrassment at the stale stank of the place. She hobbled over to the cot. It groaned as she settled on it. She wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. The cabin appeared like a miracle when she needed one. Who cared if it was pretty?

Sarah laughed. “Fair enough.”

“Can you fill that pail with water? There’s a hand pump outside.”

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