“And when they find a female, you can imagine what becomes of them.”
Darla’s jaw set firm at the thought. “We need to find the others.”
“I know.”
“There were at least a dozen women in our holding compartment.”
“I am aware of that.”
“And who knows how many on the rest of the ship?”
“Which is why I agree that we must move. If we reach them quickly we may be able to spare them the atrocities of a hostile capture. Come,” he said, then turned and continued on at a brisk pace.
Darla followed close behind, matching his increased stride step for step. She couldn’t help but appreciate his motives. He had been a bit surly at first, and they had most definitely not hit it off, but despite that, and with no ties whatsoever to these other women, he was making saving them a priority.
On top of that, he had made his decision to do so with no hidden motives. He had started this quest before they had their liaison. In fact, he had been planning on doing the whole thing on his own before she’d forced him to take her along.
He’s a good guy, she told herself. Naturally, the one good man I find is an alien, and a bazillion miles from home no less. Well, like Mama said, we make the most of what cards we’re dealt, she thought, the air quiet but for their footsteps on the uneven ground.
Several hours later they had covered a lot of distance, moving across the terrain with an ease Darla would not have been remotely capable of just the day prior. She still felt amazing, and even with the sun starting to lower in the sky she felt as though she could take on the world.
Unfortunately, the rolling hills and brief stretches of plains had transitioned to jutting rock cliffs once again. It was something they hadn’t been able to see even from their position the other day; the shift being hidden by the trees and natural curvature of the hills around them.
It was some sort of seismic plate they had stumbled upon. Long dormant as the buried piles of shattered rocks made clear. Nature had covered the fallen shards and boulders with dirt ages ago, and plant life had taken hearty root, growing well in the fecund soil.
“You think it’s stable?” Darla asked, walking up to the stone face and tugging on a jutting chunk of rock. “It doesn’t look like that other spot.”
“It is not. This is a different sort of rock. Far harder and not prone to fragmenting.”
“Well, that’s a relief. I wouldn’t want to go causing a landslide again.”
“That makes two of us,” he said, the memory of her previous mishap fresh, but the smile in his eyes showing nothing but warmth. “I am afraid, however, that we are likely going to need to climb this cliff. From what I can see of the seismic upheaval, this faultline almost certainly runs for some distance, and we cannot afford to add one or more days to our journey to circumnavigate it. Allow me to shift my pack and I will carry you up.”
Darla looked up at the rock face and rolled her shoulders. “Don’t sweat it, big guy. I’ve got this.”
Without a moment’s hesitation she jumped up to the nearest solid handhold and began hoisting herself up the cliff face with startling ease.
This is amazing. I feel so much stronger! she marveled, then began climbing even faster.
“Wait!” Heydar called up after her. “Go slower! Conserve your energy!”
“Don’t worry about me, I’m fine!” she replied, flying up the rocks.
Heydar reached up and grabbed hold of the rock, pulling himself up after her as fast as he could. With her newfound strength, however, he was having to put in far more of an effort than he expected. Nevertheless, he was gaining on her, albeit slowly.
Darla was hauling ass, her hands and feet finding purchase without a second thought. Whatever it was these runes did for her muscular endurance, balance was also part of the package. Like Jack scaling his beanstalk, up and up she raced, not thinking about how high she was, and certainly not looking down.
She was on cloud nine until her left hand suddenly slipped, her grip weakening. She quickly reestablished her purchase on the rock face, but her whole body was starting to feel weird.
“Heydar?” she called out, fear creeping into her voice. “What’s happening to me?”
“Hold on!” he shouted up to her, increasing his pace as much as he could.
Darla didn’t know how far it was to the top, but she was quite certain she was high enough for a fall to kill her, and panic was setting in. Her fingers began to slip, and her vision swirled, her equilibrium making the world spin inside her head.
“Heydar!” she managed to squeak out just as her hands popped free from their handholds.
She was weightless, floating in the void. Or so it felt until her body slammed into something firm yet forgiving. This was not the rocks far below. Amazingly, she realized she was still alive. Alive and intact, so far as she could tell in her weakened state.
The reality of the situation was that Heydar had managed to secure one fist deep in a crack just as she fell, wedging his hand in as hard as he could then pivoting out, extending his free arm beneath her.
His powerful muscles tensed as he caught her falling body, absorbing the impact, his tattoos flaring and shifting within his skin, drawing from the system’s power and adding to his natural strength. Even then, her velocity was almost too great to overcome, but with every ounce of resolve he possessed he managed to hold on and draw her in close.
Heydar took a moment to catch his breath then shifted her motionless weight, draping her over his shoulder and securing her as best he could, tucking her arms into the gap between his pack and his shoulders. The pressure would not be comfortable, but at least she wouldn’t slip out as he climbed.
He grabbed the rock with his free hand and carefully withdrew his other from the rocky crack. It was scraped and bruised, but otherwise intact. She had hit hard. Had he tried to simply hang on with his fingers her impact would have undoubtedly peeled both of them off the rock face.
Quickly, but carefully, he ascended the cliff, making sure to only grab the easiest, most secure of handholds as he carried her upward. It took several minutes of slow going before he reached the top and crawled onto the summit.
He moved a safe distance in from the edge and set her down, untangling her from his pack’s straps.
“What happened?” she asked, her voice weak.
“You pushed too hard.”
“But I felt good. I was able to climb so easily.”
“Yes, your pigment has grown strong within you. Too strong for so short a time. The bond is still tenuous, yet you pushed too hard and drew deep upon it before it was fully set in your body. And now you will be weaker for it, though with your body’s reaction to the pigment I do not know for how long.”
Darla shook her head, trying to knock the cobwebs loose.
“I’m fine,” she said, trying to get up. She immediately fell over, which was why he had made a point to set her down far from the cliff’s edge.
“Shh. Rest, Malaika. I have you.”
Darla was drifting off even as he lifted her up in his arms as if she weighed nothing. By the time he started walking she was melting into his embrace, a moment later falling sound asleep against the warmth of his broad chest.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Darla woke to find herself covered with both of their furs, cozily ensconced in a bundle of warmth. Wiping the drowsiness from her eyes she looked around. Heydar had made camp under a copse of trees up against a jutting rock. It wasn’t a cavern by any means, but the location was a fairly secure one against the elements.