by Vivian Star
And that's why I have to survive and win this. For him. For us and our future.
The countdown stops, and I run straight into the cave, leaping over large rocks until I get to the end and freeze. There is a huge hole in the ground, and on the other side is the exit. The hole looks way too big for me to jump, and the sides are perfectly smooth so there is no way of climbing. Shit.
I will have to jump.
Taking a good ten steps backwards, I brace myself before running as fast as I can. I jump at the last moment, propelling myself through the air. I reach my hands out, seeing the edge of the hole, and my fingers just graze across it before I fall. I scream, closing my eyes as tight as I can as I free-fall down the hole that seems to get deeper and deeper. Suddenly my body sinks under freezing cold water, the shock of the cold water making me go still even as I realise the water current is pulling me somewhere.
After a few seconds, I open my eyes and see a light above. I swim up, even as my eyes and lungs burn, until I crash out of the top of the surface. The current of the river I'm in pushes me along as I see light in the distance of a cave entrance I am getting closer to. I swim through the current to the cave entrance, and I'm surprised to see a clear blue lagoon of sorts, completely hidden by snow-covered trees. I swim to the edge of the lagoon and pull myself out onto the rocks, shivering from head to toe. I search around and see a hole in a tree that looks warm. Without waiting, I crawl to the tree and get inside, wrapping my arms around myself. I suddenly feel tired, and my eyes begin to drop shut as the tree suddenly starts to feel really warm. I snuggle down into the warmth, and my eyes start to droop as my thoughts begin to wander. Thinking of horses and too exhausted to care, I fall asleep.
I wake up with a jolt, wondering how long I've been napping and how my clothes are suddenly very dry. The sky is still light outside as I climb out of the tree and stretch my arms. I feel a little hot, but I suspect I was close to hypothermia when I fell asleep. I take a deep breath and turn around to come face-to-face with a rock-covered Truzan horse.
Not just anyone either, oh no, I know those eyes.
"Rocky!" I shout in joy, wrapping my arms around his neck. "You found me!"
He lets out a whining noise, pushing his snout against my neck. I chuckle and grin at him. "Any chance of a ride? I have a competition to win."
Rocky kneels down for me, and I almost laugh at how annoyed Xair is going to be to learn Rocky, the horse competition he never wanted, saved me. This means we have to keep him now. I climb onto Rocky's back, holding onto the stone slabs of his neck as he rises. He sets off through the forest, jumping over large roots and fallen trees until we come out of the lagoon area and into a clearing. I glance back and see the cave entrances at the top of the mountain, and the long climb down. It would have taken Senza a long time to climb down the mountain, and she might be a little ahead of me, but she can't be far. I look up at the sky, seeing that the sun is getting ready to set, so it must be past midday. I slept for hours, dammit.
My stomach rumbles as Rocky runs fast over the clearing and gets us to a large cliff with trails in zigzag shapes running all the way down it. In the far distance, I see the lake, the water shimmering in the sunlight. The lake is huge, and in the middle of it is a small island where I need to get to.
"Let's go, Rocky," I instruct him, holding on tightly as he starts slowly walking down the pathways, and my chest hurts with a deep fear that almost paralyzes me.
The worst thing is...this isn't even the scary part. Oh no, the water is next.
Chapter Twenty-One
Rocky's hooves sink into the water at the edge of the lake as I slide off him, my own feet hitting the water with a splash. Rocky lets out a whine as I search the edges of the nearly frozen-over lake, wondering where would be the safest point. Big parts of ice float around the water, but most of it isn't ice at all, it's just cold water that would be hard to swim out of. I'm not a good swimmer, I know that, and this is still water.
It would be so easy to drown in it. Let's not even mention the creatures that might be living in its depths. In the middle of the lake is the island, and I quickly make a plan to jump on five different pieces of ice to make it there without falling in.
That is if I don't slip on the ice.
I glance behind me, hearing a strange noise, and my eyes widen when I see Senza running full speed across the clearing towards us. She looks worse for wear, her hair is in a messy state, and her clothes are ripped. Within seconds, the reason she is running so fast and looks a mess becomes clear as a huge creature blasts out of the ground. The thing looks like a snake with a mouth full of razor teeth, and rough green skin covers it.
"Crap!" I mutter, knowing I need to get to the island and hope that thing doesn't kill me. I pull out Cass's dagger, in case I need it, and run to the first part of ice. I step on it, thankful it doesn't crack, and make my way across it to the edge. I take a big step over the gap, and then the lake shakes a little. I smack shoulder-first onto the ice, gasping from the pain, and I see the snake has gone back into the ground, but Senza is nearly here. Forgetting about taking the ice slow, I crawl to my feet and run. I slip and slide on the ice until I can jump onto the next piece.
"No!" Senza screams, and I turn just before a sharp pain hits me hard in my stomach. I pause, looking down to see a bronze-hilted knife buried in my stomach. Blood pours down my white clothes as I fall to my knees, expecting to feel the pain, but instead I feel nothing but a strange sense of guilt. Senza is in front of me when I open my eyes next, and she laughs, kicking my chest, and I fall onto my back. I look up as she stands over me.
"Why did he choose someone so weak for his mate?" she asks. "Why would Vyuna pair you two?"
"Why did you betray him so badly?" I weakly ask, every word hard to get out.
Her eyes fill with tears for a moment. "He left me to get revenge for his brother. He chose that family over me, and because of him not being there, I was stolen from our mother."
"You blame him?" I croak out. "He had to survive. It was never because he didn't love you."
"I hate him for everything I was put through. The Rebel King stole my virtue in front of my mother, and then had her too, and made me watch. He dragged me to this planet and forced himself on me for months until he accepted I was not fertile. Then he looked for his next queen. I was the eighth queen, and all of them hated me. So I killed them and took what was rightfully mine," she tells me, tears filling her eyes. I feel her anger like it's my own, like it is a real thing. She is so broken she can't see that she is hurting anyone else.
"Why did the Rebel King never take another bride?" I ask, wanting to feel sorry for her, but I just can't. Bad things happen to everyone in the universe, and the strong take their scars onwards in their life, but they don't look back. They don't let the past control who they are in the future. She did.
"He tried, but they all died en route," she grins. "Eventually I convinced him that we would find a child to raise together."
"It's not too late," I tell her, holding my stomach that feels hot and sticky with my blood. Everything is slowly becoming fuzzy, like an old photo where you can't quite see the background. "You could save me, and Xair would forgive you. He is your family after all."
"I don't need anyone," she hisses, and I know it's pointless from the look in her eyes. Coldness is a poison that has taken her over, devouring every emotion she has. "Xair will be dead soon enough. I will kill him myself so he can join you."
She laughs as I scream at her, and she walks away across the ice. I pick up Cass's dagger and do the only thing I can think of. With all the strength I can find, I stab the ice right in front of me, and it cracks. The crack gets bigger, spreading in a line right up to where Senza is walking. She pauses, looking down as the ice opens up wide right next to her. Dammit.
"You fool. I'm Gie, I can't drown," she says, laughing maniacally. Her scream is short before the same huge snake creature surges out of the water and devours her whole. I lie f
rozen from both the ice and my fear while the beast slithers back into the water.
And never comes back up.
Thank you, Vyuna.
I roll on my back, staring up at the sky as it begins to snow. The snowflakes are beautiful as I feel myself drifting away, beginning to die.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Not yet, not now. You are one of my blessed five, and your fate is linked to one just born.
* * *
A beautiful female's voice fills my mind as I wonder if I'm dead, if I've been lost and if so, why can't I see my mum and dad? Fate be damned if I am dead. Although death smells funnily like my mate, but he can't be here with me now. I open my eyes, feeling my body from my neck down encased in warm water I soon recognise as healing water from Strixa. A beeping nearby fills my ears, as does the sound of light chatter in the far distance. The hum of an engine lets me know I'm on a ship, and I stare up at the clean white ceiling. This isn't the ship we stole, it was never this new or nice. Running my hands over my stomach, over a simple dress I'm in, I feel a line of stitches where I was stabbed.
How am I alive?
"Sav?" Xair asks, his voice cracked and broken. I sit up, feeling a little woozy, and turn to my mate. He is sitting in a chair next to the water bed, and his eyes find mine. Tears fill his eyes as he stands up and walks to me, cupping my face with his hands. "Are you okay? Do you need any pain meds?"
"No, I feel good," I whisper. Is he really here?
"Thank fuck, I can do this then," he says and kisses me. Oh, he is certainly real. Only Xair can kiss me and feel like he is claiming my soul at the same time. I grin around his lips, feeling nothing but joy at being in his arms as his lips brush against mine. "I was scared I would lose you."
"How am I here?" I ask him. He picks up a towel off the side, wrapping it around my shoulders and picking me up out of the bath. He carries me to a small bed in the room and sits down first, holding me on his lap. His hands run through my hair as he explains.
"The test is always watched. I saw everything," he explains to me. "Everything."
"Turns out I'm not a good jumper," I try to joke. He smiles at me, but I know it's too raw, too soon. We both nearly lost each other. "I'm sorry about Senza. Is she?"
"Dead. Yes." He nods. "The throne was given to you when she didn't come back. We took a ship and came to you right away. It was pure luck she didn't hit any major organs with that dagger, and they understood you needed medical care."
"Is that where we are now?" I question.
"No, this is a ship from Strixa. Your friend Strad is the commander," he tells me. "The first thing he did when he got here was punch me and then helped the ship healer to place you in here. The healers of Strixa are far more advanced than Noveta's."
"I know, I trained with them," I chuckle.
"I remember," he murmurs, stroking my cheek.
"Is Rocky okay?" I ask.
"The damn horse saved your life and helped you when I couldn't. I made sure he is kept in the royal mansion and treated like a king," he tells me, and I grin.
"He would love that. We will have to visit him," I say.
"If we have to," Xair mumbles noncommittally, and his eyes get serious. "I have to tell you something. It's not going to be easy to—"
He pauses as a baby cries nearby. Confused, I follow the sound to a cot near the window that I didn't notice before. Xair carefully places me on the bed and goes to the cot, picking up a tiny blue baby with curly white hair, wrapped in a white blanket. The baby stops crying immediately, and Xair smiles at me as he brings the baby over.
"Who is this?" I ask as Xair lays the baby down in the middle of us on the bed. I softly stroke the baby's little cheek.
"He doesn't have a name, but he is Cesaita's son. I'm sorry, but she died in childbirth two days ago. It was before Strad got here with the ship, and Milca was practically alone. Childbirth can come with such great risks," he gently tells me. Tears fill my eyes as I try to process that Cesaita is gone. We might not have spent a lot of time together, but we bonded in a strange way. We trusted each other, we saved each other, and I wanted to see her happy with her baby. Now he is all alone. "He loves being in my arms, that's why he is here and not with Milca. He cries when she tries to hold him."
"He is stunning," I admit, taking his little hand in my own. "Did Ces not have time to give him a name?"
"She wrote a letter before she went into labour. It's addressed for you. Maybe there is a mention of a name in there?" Xair suggests, picking up a folded white letter off the table at the side of the bed. He hands me it, and I look at the little boy for a moment before opening the letter and reading inside.
My dear friend Savannah,
If you are reading this, then I am gone and with my mate in Vyuna's garden of life. I wait for my baby there and for you, as I am certain we'll meet once more when it is time for you to find me.
I hope my baby is alive, and if he is, I leave my baby's care to you as his guardian. Please be the mother he will greatly need, and ask your mate to be the father he will want.
You are the only one in the universe who knows who my baby is, bar the baby's grandmother, and I recently found out she has passed away. He is alone in this world, but in the other, he is so loved and watched over.
I hope one day you may tell him (or her) the truth.
Please do not be sad. You gave me freedom at a time I had given up on it, and you were my friend when I sorely needed one.
I see your love for your mate, and his love for you, and I am reminded of a better time.
The stars never forget us, Savannah.
Go with my love,
Protect my child as your own,
C.
* * *
I re-read the letter a few more times before passing it to Xair. I wipe my eyes of all the tears that have fallen and try not to sob anymore as I pick up the little boy. I hold him in my arms, looking down at his pretty gold eyes.
"Do you want this?" Xair asks me after reading the letter. "I already love the boy as my own, and I will treat him as such. Do you want to adopt him as ours?"
"Yes," I answer immediately. "I think Vyuna kept me alive to be his mother and to be your mate. My boys who need a home."
Xair grins as he climbs off the bed and wraps his arms around me. He kisses my shoulder as I look down at our boy. "What should we name him?"
"When I was little, my dad had a telescope, and his favourite constellation was the Gemini. He told me the brightest star in the Gemini constellation was called Castor. Now, the name makes me think of Ces. What do you think?" I ask Xair.
"The brightest star. Funny you should say that," he answers, and I look up at him. "I always thought that was you."
"Charmer," I mutter.
"But you love me," he answers, leaning down so our lips are inches apart.
"Yes, I do," I reply, and he kisses me softly. "Where do we go from here?"
"This ship is taking us home to Strixa. Then we can find your sisters," he whispers to me, careful not to wake our sleeping baby up. Funny how home isn't a planet to me anymore, it's where they are.
They are my home now.
The door is knocked softly twice before it slides open and Strad walks into the room.
"I'm happy to see you're awake," he tells me, walking over to my side. "How are you feeling?"
"Better," I tell him. "Are you taking us home now?"
"Unless someone decides to kidnap you, that is the plan," he replies, arching an eyebrow at Xair.
Xair laughs and winks at me. "I don't need to kidnap her. She is already mine."
Chapter Twenty-Three
"I cannot send any more ships near Earth," Rox tells us all, but mainly me and Darcie, who looks as annoyed as I feel. My heart hurts for the soldiers' families who have lost their loved ones to these damn dragons. All I can do is thank Vyuna for the new peace treaty between Noveta and Strixa, which means we can have fresh water from them. Noveta, with its clean water, is soon
becoming a rich planet in the universe now that Earth is not trading with us.
I want to scream in frustration, but I know it won't get me anywhere. I feel bad enough that we have spent two years on Strixa, trying to figure out a way to save our sisters. Chloe is completely missing, Alice is trapped on a planet we are at war with—but she's alive—and we can't get to Isabelle. "I've lost twenty men and five ships to those dragons now. No one is getting near Earth unless they are going up in flames. At the end of the day, the dragons are not attacking anyone. We have no intel other than from watching. It seems like they travel through the gaps in space and back."
"I'm surprised they haven't left with the women and children like they did years ago," Xair adds, walking to my side, his hand finding mine.
"Something is different this time," Rox agrees. We all fall into a pit of silence, none of us sure what to do next. We can't just take a ship to Earth because it will be set on fire in space, like all the ones before it. Alice is the only sister I think we have a chance of saving.
"We are going after Alice, now the spy has given us her whereabouts," I tell Darcie. "I will need you to care for Cas while we are gone. I would wait, but with her new condition..."
"I can't believe she is pregnant. Alice is only twenty-one, and she is sick," Darcie whispers. "I'm worried."
"So am I," I admit, biting on my lip. "But clearly she has been given medicine so far to keep her alive."
"Don’t forget, when you bring her back, we finally have a proven cure," Rox adds in.
