by Zara Zenia
“It almost looks like . . .” Margot said after a few quiet moments surveying the wreckage. “It almost looks like the fire was mostly in this spot. This was the explosion. Look at this circle.”
“That's not quite a circle,” he said. “It looks like . . . well, that's odd.”
“What?” she asked.
He crouched down, pointing to the markings. “I don't recognize this as any part of the ship . . .” he said. “But honestly, I'm probably not the authority on this right now.”
“You think that there are extra pieces?” she said.
“Really, don't trust me,” he said. “I even skipped this class more than the others. Oh, hey!”
He picked up a charred piece of yellow fabric and then looked forward. There were several pieces of debris covering it, and he scrambled to pull them off.
Sure enough, there were random first-aid supplies everywhere as well as the beaten-up box they’d been in.
“Jackpot!” Margot couldn't help but cry, which made Draklan laugh.
Between the two of them, they scrambled to pick them all up and put them back in the box.
“What's this?” Margot asked.
“That's nanite spray,” he said. “It mends skin.”
“Oh, that's perfect,” she said. “And here's a still wrapped pack of gauze and some tweezers. Looks like I'm fully prepared to do surgery on you.”
“Amazing,” he said.
“You're not scared of a little tweezer, are you?” she teased him.
“Not as much that as the idea of surgery in an open field,” he said.
They both decided that they had gotten what they needed and they could always scour the wreckage later for more. They were out of energy and they needed to tend to their wounds.
They made their way back to the tree, taking with them a blanket that they had found. Margot had also found some antiseptic spray. It wasn't the best operating theater, but it would have to do.
Draklan sat with his back to Margot and she thanked her lucky stars that she wasn't one of those girls who was bothered by blood.
“Right,” she said. “I'm going to just clean it, which I imagine is going to be the worst part. I think this stuff will probably sting as much as it does on Earth.”
“You're not supposed to tell me that,” he said dryly.
She smiled. “All right, it's going to feel amazing,” she lied with a laugh and then sprayed.
“Ow!” he howled.
She couldn't help but giggle. “Sorry, did that not feel amazing?” she asked, looking innocent.
He gritted his teeth.
Margot was aware that in these conditions, infection could set in quickly. She probably sprayed his back more than she should have, and it bubbled, which told her things were being cleaned.
Once the bubbling stopped, she took it as a sign that she was all right to start pulling the pieces out. She used scissors from the package to cut away his shirt and then put on gloves and took out the tweezers.
“Do you want me to warn you?” she said.
“No,” he said, gripping his fists. “Just do it.”
“All right . . .” Margot said. “Well, remember that I'm not trying to hurt you on purpose.”
“Yep,” he said.
She began to pull.
He yelped several times, but he actually fared quite well. From what Margot could see, all the pieces were coming out in large chunks, and there was nothing left in the wounds. She took some of the gauze and wiped down his back several times, just to make sure it was completely clean.
“I think . . .” she said after a few moments. “I think that I'm done.”
“Use the nanite spray,” he said. “It'll close the wounds.”
“I'm just worried I've left some pieces in,” she said. “This is stressful.”
“It feels better,” he said. “Just . . . it stings.”
“All right, then,” she said and picked up the foreign device. She sprayed it, and to her surprise, he didn't wince. He actually breathed a sigh of relief and then the wounds closed. “Wow.”
Draklan flexed his back a couple of times, testing its strength, and then turned to her. “All done?”
“All done,” she said.
He pulled the remaining pieces of his shirt off, and even in her state, she recognized how good-looking he was. He was toned and lean and he looked stunning. She put her hand on his shoulder.
“Are you all right?”
“Yes,” he said, and they gazed into each other's eyes. “Thank you.”
“Of course,” she said.
He reached up to touch her face, and she closed her eyes. They came close together, and their lips brushed.
She had been thinking about their kiss so much that she almost didn't realize that they were kissing again until he nipped a little at her lip.
If they hadn't crash-landed just now, she would have thought that this was the ultimate fantasy for a painter. They were in the Tamaraxian landscape, with a forest, a field, and water. It was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen. Draklan was the most handsome man she had ever seen, and he was shirtless and kissing her.
She reached her hand over to his shirtless torso, and when she touched him, he shivered.
“I'm sorry,” she said. “Did I hurt you?”
“No,” he said and took her hand, putting it back on his chest. “It's amazing.”
They kissed for several more minutes, and Margot considered taking off her top as well. Draklan was pulling at it, and she realized the blanket below them was quite soft. She leaned back, and he moved gently on top of her, making sure he wasn't hurting her.
“Oh, God,” he moaned when he finally lay right on top of her. She felt that despite the dramatic situation, he was hard with desire for her, and it inspired her desire as well.
“Should we?” she asked.
He pushed himself up on his arms to look at her. “Do you want to?”
“I just—” she said, and then they heard an odd noise. “What was that?” she asked him.
He brushed it off. “It's fine,” he said. “We're outside. There's a bunch of strange sounds.”
“Yes, but I thought I heard . . . something,” she said and then sat up, pushing Draklan off her. “I saw someone.”
“What?” he asked and sat up right away, spinning around. His eyes scanned the landscape. “I don't see anyone. Where did you see someone?”
“There,” she said, pointing.
Draklan squinted. “You saw a person, or an animal?”
“I . . .” Now Margot was second-guessing herself. “I don't know. I don't even know what half the animals look like around here.”
“It's probably just—” he started and then there was a gunshot. It hit the grass right to their side.
Margot screamed and grappled for Draklan. All he could do from the position he was in was pull her to the other side, getting her out of harm's way.
“Get up, get up!” he cried.
She scrambled to her feet.
Draklan scrambled up as well, grabbing the first-aid supplies, and they ran for the forest. They were close, but not close enough that several gunshots didn't try to hit them before they got into the trees. Margot's head started to ache again, and she felt unsteady as they took cover.
“What was that?” she asked. “Who was that? Did you see anyone?”
“No,” he said, panting. “Can you describe what you saw?”
“I . . . I don't know,” Margot replied. “It was almost like he looked like the mechanic.”
“The mechanic?” Draklan responded, surprised. “The mechanic from where?”
“Back in the palace hangar,” she said. “That's crazy, though.”
“Well . . .” Draklan said, his face changing. “I don't know if it's crazy. Do you think that it's him?”
“I don't . . . know,” Margot said. “It just seemed like the same body type, you know? But it was from a distance, so I didn't get a good look at him. It
can't be the same person, can it? How can he be here?”
“I don't know,” he said. “But we have to consider every option, given what happened to our shuttle.”
“I don't want to sound like I'm accusing anyone,” Margot said. “But was there anything suspicious about the way we left Tamarax? Bhatraz said that it was normal for the mechanic to be around the shuttle, so I didn't pay so much attention to it. But I felt . . . weirded out by him.”
“Having the shuttle serviced is normal,” Draklan said, “but I normally recognize the faces that are around, and I didn't recognize his.”
“And . . . your brother,” she said, trying to keep her eyes open for any other danger. “Your brother was suddenly very nice. I know that you said it's sometimes normal for him to just . . . switch things up like that, but I've never met anyone like that. I've met people who put on one face, but they are always the same underneath.”
“I know how you feel,” Draklan said. “But I don't think that Bhatraz would purposely hurt me.”
“Are you sure?” Margot asked.
Draklan took a deep breath. “No,” he said at last. “I'm not entirely sure. But . . .”
He looked so hurt that Margot wrapped her arms around him.
“I know,” she said. “It's incredibly hard to think that your own brother would do this. We don't have to discuss it. Right now, it doesn't matter why we ended up here. We just have to figure out how to get out of here alive.”
Draklan was about to say something when another gunshot came. It hit the tree in front of them and both of them jumped.
“Run,” Draklan said.
Margot knew that she was the weak link in this situation. Her head was still pounding and she was unsteady on her feet. She was positive that she had a concussion, and she really should rest. She was never good at medical things, so she didn't exactly know what she was supposed to do. She just knew she was getting tired.
Draklan pulled her in another direction, and she winced as she felt her shoulder overextend. He didn't intend to hurt her. He had just moved too fast and she couldn't catch up. Her lungs felt like they were going to explode, and she felt like she might pass out.
“Draklan,” she panted. “Draklan!”
Another gunshot came, and they both took shelter behind a rock. There was definitely someone in the woods with them.
“Oh, God.” Margot winced, trying to breathe.
Draklan glanced at her, concerned. “What can I do?” he asked.
She thought it was a far more helpful question than asking her what was wrong. “I . . . I think it's my head,” she said. “I can't focus.”
“You did black out for quite a while,” he said worriedly. “I'm sorry, Margot. I don't know what to do aside from running.”
“You don't happen to have a weapon on you, or anything?” Margot asked.
He shook his head. “Wish I did,” he said. “But we just have to keep running. This isn't much cover here, and he'll find us.”
“Where?” Margot asked, looking around. There was forest everywhere, and she didn't see the point in just running forever. Their legs would give out before they found safety. “We can't.”
“We can.” He took her hand. “And we will. I'll be with you the whole time, all right?”
He looked into her eyes, and she was terrified that she would be their downfall. He was healed, thanks to the nanite spray. He was stronger, and he was faster. If he truly had no weapon, then she would just be slowing him down.
“I'll be with you,” he said again. “I promise. I'm not leaving you.”
His gaze was so full of love and strength that she couldn't resist. He pulled her to her feet, never letting go of her hand. This time, she paid attention to where he was looking and ran with him. As long as he kept ahold of her hand, she felt like she could do anything and go anywhere.
“There!” he said after a few moments. “There's a bit of shelter over there. There are some rocks. I think . . . I think there's some sort of small hill, and who knows what's behind it. It could be safety.”
“If we can get there,” she managed, but she didn't stop moving. If this was the way they were going to die, she wasn't going to go down without a fight.
Chapter 16
Draklan
“We will have the advantage up here,” Draklan said at last.
Margot was trailing behind him and he felt terrible about taking her up a hill. However, if he knew anything about battle strategy and being outnumbered, he knew that high ground was important.
“So we can stop.”
“I was never very athletic,” Margot said. “But that was more working out than I have ever gotten. In my whole life.”
“Well,” Draklan said, “I don't think that you need to work out, if that helps.”
“You're sweet,” Margot said as she collapsed on the ground, panting. She looked around and saw that he was looking at a small cave that was halfway underground. “You want us to in there?”
“I think we should,” he said. “At least, I think that you should. I'm going to stay on lookout and make sure that we aren't being followed. If an hour or so goes by and nothing happens, I would say it's safe to think that we lost them.”
“Yeah.”
Margot looked too tired to fight, and Draklan helped her up and into the cave. He knew she loved nature and smiled as she immediately began looking at the lines in the cliff face and the unique flowers growing at the entrance. She seemed all right, and Draklan kept an eye on her as much as he did the landscape below them.
“You know,” Draklan said as they weren't standing that far apart. “I think there were two of them.”
“Two?” Margot's voice was surprised. “Really?”
“Yeah,” Draklan said. “The more I think about it, the more I think that those gunshots were coming from different angles.”
“I only saw one,” Margot said, but she sounded thoughtful. “At least, I thought I only saw one. But maybe I didn't. Maybe I just saw two who looked the same.”
“I wish this were a mystery novel,” Draklan said. “So we could solve it and get a prize.”
Margot chuckled at that. “You read mystery novels?” she asked.
“I used to,” Draklan replied. “I don't have a lot of time, but I used to love putting those clues together.”
“I used to read a lot of them too,” Margot said. “I had no idea they were something here.”
“They are very popular here,” he said. “Perhaps we should trade books.”
“Sure, if we survive the night,” Margot said.
The sun began to set and Draklan became convinced that they had lost the two men. With the setting sun, the temperature turned colder. Draklan could hear Margot shivering and so he abandoned his lookout to come and sit with her.
After their earlier encounter together, they snuggled together. Draklan put his arm around Margot, hoping to stop the early chills that were coming with the setting sun.
“Well, this is not exactly the way I wanted things to go,” Draklan said. “But it's a nice sunset, at least.”
Margot leaned her head against his shoulder. “I think it's a beautiful sunset,” she said. “And I wouldn't trade the view for anything in the world. There is only one thing I would add.”
“What?” he asked with a smile. “Ask anything and your wish will be granted. If I can grant it, that is.”
“I'm starving,” she said.
He laughed. “I'm starving too,” he said. “It didn't look like any of the food survived the shuttle crash though.”
“No,” she said. “It certainly didn't. Too bad we didn't bring anything raw. It would be well cooked.”
He kissed the top of her head. “You always have a way of looking on the bright side of things, don't you?”
“I try,” she said. “I'm not always successful, but I try. Is there anything we could eat that grows natively here, perhaps?”
“We'd have more luck hunting,” Draklan responded. “W
hich would be a change from being hunted.”
“Do you know how to hunt?” Margot asked.
“I do,” he said. “But the only tools we have to do that are some sharp rocks. I noticed that there's a stream right behind this cave, so we might be able to fish.”
“I'm up for anything,” Margot said. “But do you think it's safe?”
“I do think we lost them,” Draklan said. “And I don't think they’re going to be looking in the dark, to be honest. So we have until dawn. There should be a fire starter in the first aid kit. I picked it up with the other stuff we shoved in the kit.”
“A fire starter?” Margot answered. “But are you sure they won't at least be looking?”
“You can start a fire at the back of the cave,” he said. “It'll keep you warm. Do you think you can figure out how to do that?”
“Yes,” she said. “I can gather some wood. But . . . you're going to the stream by yourself?”
“While there’s still light,” he said. “I have to go fast if we have any hope of eating or drinking. All right?”
“Teamwork,” Margot said, looking into his eyes.
He leaned in to kiss her, and she pulled him closer. Their kiss deepened, and he didn't want to go anywhere. Despite the situation they were in, he felt incredibly attracted to her. He didn't want to take a single step outside the cave. But he knew he had to because his job was to protect her and keep her safe.
Eventually, he dragged himself up, kissing her one last time before he went to the mouth of the cave to gather the sharpest rocks that he could.
His only experience in catching fish like this was from childhood. There was a pond full of fish in the back of the palace, and when he was a child, he used to think he was providing for dinner by literally picking up the fish out of the pond and hitting them with a rock.
“Go as far to the back of the cave as possible,” he called. “And yell as loudly as you can if you hear anyone. I won't be long.”
“All right,” she said.
He could already hear her moving to the back. Eventually, he found a sharp rock or two and moved to the stream. The light was already a bit too dim, but he knew he had to try.
