by Linda Mooney
Table of Contents
Title Page
Disclaimer
Chapter 1 - Furries
Chapter 2 - Five
Chapter 3 - Decision
Chapter 4 - Alternative
Chapter 5 - Close Call
Chapter 6 - Discovery
Chapter 7 - Signal
Chapter 8 - Return
Chapter 9 - Glyphs
Chapter 10 - Feed
Chapter 11 - Relocation
Chapter 12 - Reunion
Chapter 13 - Hiccup
Chapter 14 - Intelligence
Chapter 15 - Bath
Chapter 16 - Pure
Chapter 17 - Answers
Chapter 18 - Scout
Chapter 19 - Theory
Chapter 20 - Alert
Chapter 21 - Confrontation
Chapter 22 - Truce?
Chapter 23 - Transmitter
Chapter 24 - Transmission
About the Author
More Science Fiction Romances by Linda Mooney
Table of Contents
Title Page
Disclaimer
Chapter 1 - Furries
Chapter 2 - Five
Chapter 3 - Decision
Chapter 4 - Alternative
Chapter 5 - Close Call
Chapter 6 - Discovery
Chapter 7 - Signal
Chapter 8 - Return
Chapter 9 - Glyphs
Chapter 10 - Feed
Chapter 11 - Relocation
Chapter 12 - Reunion
Chapter 13 - Hiccup
Chapter 14 - Intelligence
Chapter 15 - Bath
Chapter 16 - Pure
Chapter 17 - Answers
Chapter 18 - Scout
Chapter 19 - Theory
Chapter 20 - Alert
Chapter 21 - Confrontation
Chapter 22 - Truce?
Chapter 23 - Transmitter
Chapter 24 - Transmission
About the Author
More Science Fiction Romances by Linda Mooney
Neverwylde
The Rim of the World, Book 5
Linda Mooney
NEVERWYLDE, Book 5
Copyright © 2017 by Linda Mooney
ISBN 978-1-941321-67-6
Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 (five) years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.
Names, characters and incidents depicted in this book are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author or the publisher.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author.
Editor: Chelly Peeler
Cover Art: Linda Mooney
Other books in this series:
Neverwylde, Book 1
Neverwylde, Book 2
Neverwylde, Book 3
Neverwylde, Book 4
Chapter 1
Furries
Kelen Chambliss could go no further. She’d barely managed to half-drag, half-crawl three meters across the mustard yellow floor before her body gave up and she collapsed. Collapsed and then drifted into unconsciousness.
But rest was elusive. Monsters reared their head, their faceless bodies rampaging from the dark fog of her subconscious. Light flashes the color of blood erupted behind her eyelids, like blaster fire. She tried to avoid being hit, being grabbed, being bitten, but her muscles refused to obey. She couldn’t even lift her arms to fend off her attackers. It was all she could do to whine softly in protest.
The cold permeated the room. The enormous hole in the wall caused by the ice quake allowed the freezing winds to blow through and cover everything in minute flakes of snow. Flakes that rapidly melted to form thin sheets of ice.
At first she couldn’t stop shivering. Then, after a while, the cold no longer affected her. She was numb, unable to feel anything. Not even the floor beneath her body, and she realized she was becoming hypothermic. Worse, she was growing increasingly drowsy.
I am going to die now. I’m going to freeze to death. Kyber…
A tear worked its way beneath her eyelid and began to solidify, sealing her eye shut. Taking a shuddering breath, she tried to say his name, the name of her love. The name of the creature who had captured her heart. Who tried to protect her with his own life.
She could no longer move her lips.
She was tired. Tired of running. Tired of fighting for survival. Tired of this never-ending struggle to find food and water and a safe place to rest.
Her throat was dry. Her stomach was empty. None of it mattered anymore. If there was anything to be grateful for, it was that freezing didn’t hurt. Her wounded hand Kyber had punctured with his talons no longer pained her. Her leg, with its multitude of clicker bites, didn’t ache. Her body was filled with a lassitude, promising her first long and blissful sleep since her ship had crash-landed on this planet. A sleep without the fear of something attacking.
Her mind began to drift. It took effort to bring Kyber’s face into view. His beautiful Seneecian features, covered with fine black fur that was slightly curly. His warm gaze. The way the corners of his mouth quirked upward when he was amused, revealing the long canine-like teeth.
Ky…ber…
A scream. High-pitched. Distant. Small.
A small scream?
Scuffling. Grunts. Deep grunts. More little screams.
She peeled her eyes open and tried to focus on the movement several meters away. A figure came into view. Shock went through her when she finally recognized one of Hoov’s people. The giant mantis-like alien was moving. Writhing. Fighting off…
Kelen blinked, unable to believe what she was seeing. Little creatures. Little fuzzy creatures the color of honey. They were swarming the big alien.
No, they were trying to swarm the Hoov creature, biting the big alien until it bled blue-black blood, but they weren’t being successful. The Hoov alien snapped at them. Those furry creatures it managed to grab in its mouth it swallowed, alive and whole. It held more of the little fuzzies in its clawed grasp, squeezing its attackers until they burst. The little screams came from the honey-gold furries as they died.
The Hoov creature screeched when a furry thing managed to reach the back of its neck. The insect-like alien threw an appendage behind its head in an attempt to get at the little being. In the process, it turned. The big creature paused in shock when it spotted her lying on the floor. Opening its mouth, it let out a loud howl and started toward her.
“No!”
Somehow she managed to call out. Somehow her hands rose up as if to ward off the creature who had every intent of killing her and eating her alive, the way it had killed and eaten the big furry thing up in the temple. The way it had killed and eaten Tojun.
Something bumped her nose. Kelen stared in groggy amazement at the blaster clutched in her undamaged hand.
The creature hurried toward her, no longer mindful of the little things that continued to cling to it. That continued to fight it, to bite it, and to overcome it.
Her vision fogged over, but the Hoov creature loomed before her like a rising wall, blocking out the light. Years ago, when she was a cadet in the space military, she’d been teased about her low scores on the gun range. The term �
�couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn” had been frequently thrown at her, until she buckled down and perfected her marksmanship. This creature was bigger than a barn, and closer. And there was no way she was going to let it feast on her.
Kelen fired, holding down the firing button. The weapon spewed a wide stream of energy. It caught the Hoov creature at chest level. The creature halted in shock, its mouth opened but no further sound came out. Within seconds the alien exploded, spraying body parts and gore in all directions. Noxious fluid spewed over her. The furry creatures which had been clinging to it stopped moving.
She tried to see if any other of the big aliens were in the room, but things were getting darker. And colder. If more came to attack the fuzzies, there would be no way she could defend herself against them or the furry things. Not again. Not anymore.
She couldn’t feel her hand. Her fingers were numb. The blaster fell onto the floor with a rattle. Closing her eyes, Kelen tilted her head to the side and rested her cheek on the icy floor. With the Hoov creature dead, she was left at the mercy of the furries.
Death by furries.
It could almost be funny if she wasn’t so damn tired. And freezing to death.
Chapter 2
Five
Warmth.
She was warm.
She also felt a heaviness, as if she’d been covered with a large and bulky blanket.
Gradually, Kelen took stock of herself as she regained consciousness. She was lying on her stomach, her left cheek making contact with the floor. Other than that, she couldn’t feel a thing. She was numb, and neither her toes nor her fingers responded when she willed them to flex and move.
She heard a soft, almost purring sound, and something moved close to her head. Her body immediately went on alert and her eyes flew open as she struggled to move away. But instead of finding a clicker or some other dangerous creature prepared to attack her, one of the tiny yellow furries sat on its haunches, staring at her.
Kelen blinked.
The furry blinked. Its horizontal row of three eyes each moved independently as it watched her, waiting for her next move. Kelen noticed the thing’s six furry legs, three on each side of its tufted body. With a few exceptions, to her it resembled an alien version of a guinea pig.
Without the ears. Or the bunny nose.
The furry scratched the side of its face. The spread of needle-thin claws at the end of the appendage looked very capable of helping the creature keep an even footing across the slick floor. Or icy floor.
Something on her shoulder moved. A moment later, another furry slid off of her and waddled away, aiming for one of the mustard-yellow squares a few meters away. Kelen watched as it disappeared inside the cube without any sign of a doorway opening for it.
Like the holographic doorways in the tunnel.
Realization abruptly hit her and she gasped. The furry had been lying on her.
That’s not a blanket covering you, Chambliss! It’s those things!
Taking care not to jostle the creatures, she tried to rise, but her arms refused to obey. Her entire body remained prone, sluggish.
She continued to watch the furry apparently standing or sitting guard less than a meter away. It didn’t appear to be overly concerned about the fact that she was awake.
Another furry rolled off of her. This time she felt its warm little body crawl over her arm where it lay against her side, but it disappeared in a direction she couldn’t follow. She was unable to turn her head.
A third furry appeared in her range of vision and went over to the furry guarding her. This one moved as if it had a limp. The two seemed to converse, then the third one turned, perhaps to leave, and that’s when she saw it was missing a middle leg. The five-legged furry waddled away.
A couple of minutes later, to her surprise, the injured furry returned. The sides of its face looked swollen as it drew closer to her face. It stopped so close to her nose, she could smell it. Surprisingly, it gave off a cinnamon-like odor.
The creature reached over and laid a paw on the corner of her mouth. Then it mewed at her. Kelen frowned, uncomprehending. The thing patted her mouth again, giving a soft whine. Realizing it wanted her to open her lips, Kelen managed to oblige, although it felt like she was trying to pry apart an iron trap.
The moment her mouth opened, the furry leaned over and spat into it. Kelen immediately clamped her lips shut. Fear rushed through her until her tongue met the moisture.
Water. The creature had given her water.
She swallowed. The slightly cool liquid felt wonderful to her parched throat.
The furry continued to watch her. Five, as she now thought of the fuzzy with the missing limb, remained next to her face. It also waited to see what her next reaction would be.
Kelen opened her mouth.
Five gave a little squeak and hobbled out of sight. Seconds later, another fuzzy with bulging cheeks approached and spat water into her mouth. Then another. And another. And finally Five reappeared to give her water.
Kelen swallowed every miniscule mouthful that they continued to bring her. By now she was aware that the warmth and heaviness she felt on her body was a virtual blanket of little furries, all huddled together to prevent her from freezing to death. Even as they continued to bring her liquid, a few more of the golden fuzzies rolled or fell or climbed off of her, to be replaced by others. She couldn’t tell if they were bringing her water from a hidden source, or if they were taking it from the snow, melting it in their own mouths before they passed it to her.
She had no idea why they were taking care of her. For some reason they had deemed her worthy of surviving—
The Hoov creature.
Memory of the alien came back to her. She recalled how the Hoov alien had chomped down on the little furries, glutting itself on the smaller creatures until it had spotted her. Seeing she was bigger and possibly incapacitated, it had turned its attention to having her as its next feast. As it had rushed toward her, it had bowled over, stomping and crushing the smaller aliens with complete disregard for their lives.
Until she’d stopped it with her blaster. And that was the last thing she could recall.
Kelen eyed the one furry standing or sitting guard. You’re paying me back for helping you, aren’t you? That’s why you’re keeping me warm and giving me water. You’re showing your gratitude.
A second little voice suddenly whispered in her head. If these things are showing you gratitude, that means they’re intelligent. Girl, these may be the third sentient life form on this crazy planet.
Five returned with another mouthful of water, but Kelen pressed her lips together to silently let it know she didn’t need any more. The creature backed away, and she watched as it swallowed instead.
“Food.” She kept her voice to a whisper, hoping not to alarm it. “Food. Eat.” To emphasize her point, she pretended to chew something. At no time did she bare her teeth at it, although she surmised that if these furries were indeed intelligent, it was possible they had already examined her while she had been unconscious. “Food. I’m hungry. Is there something you can bring me to eat?”
Five hobbled over to the guarding furry, and the two exchanged squeaks. Kelen got the impression that their language might be beyond her range of hearing.
If that’s the case, would it be beyond Kyber’s? Would he be able to hear—
His stricken face as he watched her fall away from him returned with a vengeance. The sound of him screaming her name… How the others grabbed him by the fur to prevent him from throwing himself after her… The way he struggled as he reached for her to save her…
She had no idea she was crying until a paw gently touched the bridge of her nose. Slowly opening her eyes, Kelen saw Five peering intently at her. It touched her nose again, this time reaching for the teardrop gliding over her skin and falling onto the floor. It lifted its paw to its mouth where it licked the salty tear with its tiny black tongue. Five suddenly shuddered, gave a squeal, and ran off in a dir
ection she couldn’t follow.
Chapter 3
Decision
“How much time do we got before that fire flood hits us?” Sandow asked. They all stared at the slowly oozing river of magma coming directly at them.
Kyber glanced around. He was the last man standing on the flat rock next to the pedestal that contained the familiar map. The others remained gathered on the floor below him, and they were watching the oncoming flow with the same amount of anxiety as he felt.
“Given the rate of movement, and figuring there’s little more than a hundred meters between us and it, I’d say we have less than an hour to figure out what to do.” Jules glanced around at the rest of them. “Any suggestions? I vote we get the hell away from here and try to make it back to the first temple.”
“I’m in,” Sandow voted.
Dox added a sad nod of agreement.
Kyber closed his eyes and bowed his head. It no longer mattered what they did or where they went. At least, it no longer mattered to him. Kelen was gone. As he watched her fall through the crack in the floor, he’d felt everything drain from him. All hope, all happiness vanished as darkness swallowed her. The look of utter terror on her pale face as the distance between them grew would forever haunt him.
The growing heat was becoming oppressive, turning the air into a suffocating blanket, making it harder and harder to draw breath. Turning to the panel, Kyber searched for the white light that they believed indicated the temple. When he finally realized what he was seeing—or rather, what he was not seeing—he froze in stunned disbelief. “We may have a problem.”
