Neverwylde (The Rim of the World Book 1)
Page 15
“Oh, he is,” Fullgrath noted. “You can bet your whistle he is.”
“All right. Those two are a given,” Jules replied. “But what I want to know is, where do we go from here? What’s next? Do we continue to descend further down into this place? Because, frankly, the idea scares the hell out of me. I don’t like getting farther and farther away from the surface. I don’t know about you guys, but I’d like to see a little sunshine, even if it is from a puny ass ball of a star.”
“I agree,” Kyber said. “We can’t continue in the direction we’ve been going. We have to decide where we’re going to make base camp, and do so. Once we’re settled, we can set up defenses.”
Kelen stepped closer. “I agree with him. What’s the point of continually moving? Are we looking for something? Or someone?”
Jules threw a rock into the fire. “She’s got a point. I think this place is deserted. The people who used to live here are long gone, or dead. With the exception of the bath, there’s nothing in this area worth staying for. I vote we go back to those apartments above the lake. At least there’s food and water. For a while, anyway.”
Kyber looked to his men. “What say you?”
Gaveer gave a little one-shoulder shrug. “Having a place to settle would be nice. It’s a sound idea, and good military strategy. Then if the creatures on this world want to accost us again, let them. Let them come seek us out, instead of us stumbling over them. By that time, we’ll have a plan of action set in place.”
“Same for me,” Tojun added. Massapa nodded his buy-in.
Kyber turned to Fullgrath. “Once we’re rested, let’s go back up. We can clear out the skeletons and that nest of eye worms.”
“What do you plan to do with the remains of the locals?” Sandow spoke up.
“At least give them a decent burial,” Kelen suggested.
Mellori scratched the stubble on his face. “I concur. Tomorrow, we ascend up to the next level.”
Kelen snorted. “With any luck, we’ll find the right symbol that’ll give us some new clothes. I don’t know how much longer I can go on wearing this without taking soap and a good scrubber to it.”
“It’s this symbol.”
They glanced over to where Dox sat amid something he was patching together, its intended purpose unclear until he was ready to announce it. As they stared at him, the little man drew something in the air. Two interconnected Xs.
“What’s that, Dox?” Jules asked.
“Clothes.”
“Oh, my God. All this time!” Kelen flashed the others a huge smile. “All this time, guys! It’s never dawned on us!”
“What’s never dawned?” Fullgrath wondered.
“Dox can read the language! Don’t you remember? He can read the symbols! We’ve been so involved in trying to survive, we never paid attention to what he was doing!” She hurried over and crouched down in front of the engineer. “You can tell what the symbols say, can’t you, Dox?”
He gave her a blank look, as if he didn’t quite understand what she was asking. Kelen knew it wasn’t because he was unclear, but that his mind worked on a linear level. One thing, and only one thing, at a time. If he was engrossed in fixing whatever he held in his lap, the rest of his attention would be sparse and unfocused. It was a wonder he’d been able to pay attention to their discussion in the first place.
She took his hands in hers to help center him. “The symbols on the walls and on the doors. Can you read them, Dox? Can you interpret what they say or mean?”
He nodded. “Some.”
“What can you tell us about this place, Dox?” Kyber moved closer and knelt before the man. “Have you seen anything that would tell us where we are? Is there something you read we need to know about?”
A puzzled look came over his face. “Nooo.”
“Nothing at all?” Kelen insisted. “No coordinates? No maps?”
“It’s a waste of time, asking the isotope a question,” Dayall sneered. “You tell him what to do. You don’t ask him about it.”
Kelen ignored the ex-commander and decided to change tactics. She pointed to the device in his lap. “What are you working on, Dox? What is this?”
“A wave continuum generator.”
She chuckled. “A what? I mean, what is it supposed to do?”
“Call a ship,” the little man said simply.
“Call a ship?” Mellori moved closer. “You mean, through the wormhole? To call a ship to come rescue us?”
“I believe that’s what his intentions are,” Kyber remarked.
“How the hell can that be?” Fullgrath asked. “We don’t even know where we are!”
“Neverwylde.”
“Huh?” the big man half-grunted.
“Neverwylde,” Dox repeated. “They call it Neverwylde.”
“They who, Dox?” Kelen question. “The people who used to live here? Is that the name of this planet?”
Dox nodded. “Neverwylde,” he told them again. That being said, like a machine, he shut himself out of the conversation and went back to constructing his device.
Chapter 27
Admission
“I’m hungry! Hey! When do I get something to eat? You got me trussed up like a criminal to where I can’t fend for myself! So when are you going to feed me?” Dayall struggled against his bindings.
Kyber glanced at the man. As he did, his eyes swept over Kelen where she sat with her back to the wall. She caught his quick pass but said nothing.
“The man has a point,” he told the others. “I don’t believe we have enough between us to eat properly. Fullgrath?”
“Yeah?”
“When you investigated the other rooms, you said you didn’t go inside? You remained in the corridor and looked into the chambers?”
“Right. We just checked for signs of life. Eye worms. Nasty critters. Why?”
“You’re thinking we should go back inside and look for food and water symbols, aren’t you?” Kelen asked.
He nodded. “Yes. If we’re lucky, we’ll find something to get us through the night, before we head back.”
“And if you don’t?” Dayall challenged.
“If we don’t, we won’t be in any worse shape than we’re already in. So shut up,” Fullgrath told the man, and got to his feet. “Okay, who wants to go with me?”
Kyber stood. “I think all of us who are capable should go. It would take less time.”
Massapa took a stance next to him. “Tojun, Gaveer, and I will go.”
“Add me in,” Jules insisted.
“Someone needs to remain here to watch Dayall and make sure nothing further happens to Doc,” Mellori commented. “I’ll stay.”
Kyber smiled. “Jules, you go with Fullgrath. Massapa, you and Gaveer and Tojun can investigate on your own.”
“If you think I’m staying behind, you’d better think again,” Kelen reminded him.
“If you wish, you may accompany me,” Kyber nonchalantly informed her.
The men hurried out into the corridor. There, Kyber pointed to both ends of the tunnel. “Fullgrath, you and I will start at that end. Gaveer, you and the others begin at the opposite end. Stick to one side and work your way back to here. If you find something, mark the door so we’ll know what it contains if it’s more than you can carry. Remember, you’re looking for wavy lines for water, or curls like these for food.” He scratched the symbols in the dirt-packed floor with a claw.
“Awright. Let’s go,” Fullgrath called out, and strode off. The rest split up to start the hunt.
Kelen quietly followed Kyber as he led her to the first door at the far end, near the entrance leading to the lake. Once inside the first room, he found the light glyph and slapped it on.
He watched as Kelen walked around the chamber’s interior, looking for the carvings they needed to find, without any luck. As she came around to the doorway where he stood, she paused and looked up at him. Her eyes were soft, her need clearly written on her beautiful bare face.
>
He opened his arms, and she melted into his embrace. Holding her tightly, he brushed the top of her head with his cheek.
“I was so afraid you’d abandoned me,” she murmured.
“Never.”
The seconds ticked by. The desire, the need to remain there, holding her, was almost overwhelming. But he knew the longer they remained in the chamber, the more likely someone would come looking for them, expecting an explanation as to why.
It took willpower to pull away from her. Lifting her chin, Kyber bent down to taste her mouth. To relive those first moments when he’d learned how to kiss her. Kelen touched his cheek as she kissed him back. Raising his lips from hers, he nuzzled the little frown line between her eyes.
“What are we going to do, Kyber? I want to be with you. I want to stay with you. But…”
“Listen to me. When we return to where the apartments are, once we clear the area of eye worms and give those souls decent rest, I am going to announce to the rest of them my intentions.”
Her eyes widened. “What intentions?”
“That I am claiming you as my own.” He paused, his eyes never leaving her face. “I want to claim you, Kelen. If you will allow me.”
She smiled at him. The warmth in her gaze was undeniable. “I’ll do more than that. I’ll claim you, too. You know they’ll object. They may even argue and dare to fight us over this.”
“Let them. We’ve suffered too much to deny ourselves whatever happiness we can find on this world.”
Kelen sighed. “I feel the same way. For whatever time we have left, I want to spend it with you. I want to make love to you again, and I want to spend my days and nights beside you. Without fear, without retribution.”
“There will be retribution, Kelen,” he gently admonished her. “Do not try to fool yourself into thinking there won’t be. You and I both have crew members who’ve gone amok, and we must be forever diligent in watching out for them, as well as for those creatures who still inhabit this planet. But know this. I will protect you with my life for as long as we are together.”
“I know you will. And I will protect you with mine,” she promised in a whisper.
He chuckled, earning a quirked eyebrow.
“Did I say something funny?” Kelen asked.
“No. Not funny. But, in essence, we just exchanged vows, as they are spoken on Seneecia.”
Kelen grinned. “Now that you mention it, same goes for my kind.”
He cupped her cheek in his palm, seeking the depths of her soul through her eyes. “Then…we are one?”
“We are one,” she echoed, affirming.
They sealed their pledge with a simple kiss. Then, forcing himself to release her, he slapped the door symbol and let Kelen exit the chamber ahead of him before following her into the corridor.
Life here would challenge them. Change them. Try to kill them. But the future was no longer dismal. He had Kelen. He had a newfound purpose, and someone he could trust and love to share it with him. Regardless of what they discovered, they would face it together.
Feeling happier than he had ever been in his life, Kyber boldly stepped into a new day and a new life in this place that sat on the rim of the world.
A planet called Neverwylde.
About the Author:
Linda loves to write sensuously erotic romance with a fantasy, paranormal, or science fiction flair. Her technique is often described as being as visual as a motion picture or graphic novel.
A wife, mother, and retired Kindergarten and music teacher, she lives in a small south Texas town near the Gulf coast where she delves into other worlds filled with daring exploits, adventure, and intense love.
She has numerous best sellers, including 10 consecutive #1s. In 2009, she was named Whiskey Creek Press Torrid’s Author of the Year, and her book MY STRENGTH, MY POWER, MY LOVE was named the 2009 WCPT Book of the Year. In 2011, her book LORD OF THUNDER was named the Epic Ebook “Eppie” Award Winner for Best Erotic Sci-Fi Romance.
In addition, she write naughty erotic romances under the name of Carolyn Gregg, and horror under the pseudonym of Gail Smith.
For more information about Linda Mooney books and titles, please visit her website.
http://www.LindaMooney.com
Table of Contents
Title Page
Chapter 1 - Pursuit
Chapter 2 - Survivors
Chapter 3 - Damage
Chapter 4 - Signals
Chapter 5 - Planet-side
Chapter 6 - Hope
Chapter 7 - Attack
Chapter 8 - Safety
Chapter 9 - Rim
Chapter 10 - Decision
Chapter 11 - Seeking
Chapter 12 - Water
Chapter 13 - Escape
Chapter 14 - Descent
Chapter 15 - Remnants
Chapter 16 - Isolated
Chapter 17 - Alone
Chapter 18 - Passion
Chapter 19 - Admission
Chapter 20 - Falls
Chapter 21 - Regrouping
Chapter 22 - Bath
Chapter 23 - Taken
Chapter 24 - Tracking
Chapter 25 - Confrontation
Chapter 26 - Reevaluation
Chapter 27 - Admission
About the Author