Neverwylde (The Rim of the World Book 4)

by Linda Mooney

  She patted his arm. “Thanks anyway.”

  “If the cramping gets too severe, I can give you something to help you through that,” he added.

  “Now that I can guarantee I’ll take you up on.”

  She moved away from the physician to let him finish his work and went over to an empty section of the wall to sit down. Her cycle would begin soon. Perhaps tonight. Once it did, she had no idea how it would affect things.

  Cocooning herself inside her blanket, she brushed a patch of ground free of rock and loose dirt before laying down. She was completely unaware of when Kyber came to join her, wrapping himself protectively and lovingly around her to share body warmth.

  Chapter 9

  Hole

  She awoke when Kyber shook her shoulder, his voice low, insistent, and worried.

  “Kelen! Wake up! Kelen!”

  “What? What?” She tried to focus as she rose up on one elbow. Immediately, her body reminded her what it was like to be female—the body aches, the headache. The cramping.

  She gave the room a quick scan. At first, everything appeared to be normal. Except for Gaveer, who was on guard duty, the others were asleep or starting to rouse. The room was dark, the fire giving out the only light. Despite the discomfort, she was warm, and it wouldn’t be difficult to close her eyes and fall back asleep.

  Kyber lowered his face until his lips touched her cheek. “I sense excessive bleeding coming from you. Wake up, Kelen!”

  She rubbed a hand over her face and eyes. Rolling over onto her back, she looked up at where he hovered above her. “Yes, I’m bleeding, but don’t worry. It’s natural for my species.” At his curious expression, she gave a nod. “I’ll explain it in length later, but trust me. I’m fine. I’ll have minimal pain for a few days, and things might get messy, but it’s normal. Dr. Sandow is aware of it.”

  His gaze bore into hers, as if trying to read her mind. She knew he could sense things in her.

  “If it is natural for your kind, why are you concerned?” he murmured, still apprehensive.

  “Because I’m worried others will smell the blood, and we don’t know how they’ll react.”

  “Then I will tell them—”

  “No, no. That’s not…” She touched his mouth with a forefinger. Pausing, she took all of two seconds to come to a decision. “Oh, to hell with it.”

  Her body protested in ways she’d forgotten about. Worse, she felt her womb convulse as she sat up and she grunted softly, clutching her abdomen. Taking a deep breath, she mentally braced herself. “Hey, guys?” She waited until most of them were giving her their attention before giving them the news. “I need to let you know…I started my period.”

  On the faces of her fellow crewmembers she saw a mixture of surprise and pity. On the Seneecians’ faces, curiosity.

  “What that means is that I’m bleeding. My body is sloughing old blood from within. It’s a natural part of our reproductive cycle.”

  “How long will you bleed?” Kyber questioned.

  She shrugged. “In the past, I’ve gone as few as three and as many as seven days, but my cycle is no longer as it should be. Since I’ve been on the six month contraceptive shots issued to all reproducing females who go on deep space assignments, I haven’t had a real period for some time. I…I have no idea how long this one will last.”

  She saw the Seneecians’ nostrils widen as they breathed in her scent. Sandow also saw the aliens’ reactions.

  “I need to add that, although this part of Kelen’s physiology is natural to our species, we are concerned about the timing. We worry the smell of blood might draw unwanted predators.”

  They continued to stare at Kelen until Massapa got to his feet. “All the more reason we need to be extra cautious.”

  “Not intentionally changing the topic here, but I have a question I’ve been wanting to ask.” Jules tucked his tablet inside his uniform for safekeeping. “That howling noise we heard when we first arrived. Did it come from the creature Hoov killed, or was it Hoov we heard?”

  “That’s a good question,” Mellori admitted. “I’ll confess, I thought it came from the creature Hoov killed, but now…I don’t know.”

  Kleesod got to his feet and stretched. “We need to be moving.”

  “Right. Let’s try to get back to the temple before we stop to eat,” Sandow suggested.

  They rose and collected the bundles. Gaveer snuffed out the fire as the physician made his way over to Kelen.

  “Are you in need of napkins?”

  “I’m fine right now. I thought I might start last night and placed some extra padding down there. I should be okay until we reach topside.”

  “How about pain meds?”

  “I’ll let you know when it gets intolerable.”

  “Well, just in case, here.” He held out his hand to her. Kelen saw him drop a couple of capsules in her palm. Giving him a smile of thanks, she tucked them into her uniform’s breast pocket.

  The doctor nodded and followed Tojun out the tunnel. Kelen trailed behind Massapa, who carried Dox. When they were all gathered in the original tunnel, Fullgrath led the way to the surface.

  No one spoke as they climbed the gradual incline. Going up wore them out, but they had anticipated it would. It also took them longer, forcing them to take short, frequent breaks to catch their breath and save their strength.

  Along the way, Jules kept an eye on their progress with his tablet. Kelen noticed the cracks or shifting in the tunnel walls. Every few meters they would encounter a gap in the floor. Fortunately those were never too wide to prevent them from stepping over and continuing on. She’d also tried to find another air duct, which would indicate an intersecting tunnel, but it was impossible to tell because of the damage sustained.

  They had gone nearly a kilometer when Fullgrath called out a warning and came to an abrupt stop. The group cautiously advanced until they stood alongside him.

  Mellori shone his tube light down the tunnel’s throat and groaned. “Shit. Now what?”

  Everyone stared at the collapse that filled the corridor. Mellori and Sandow played their lights from the floor to the ceiling, which showed the total devastation.

  “There’s no way we can get through that, either,” Fullgrath announced. He glanced at them over his shoulder. “Can’t go forward, can’t go back. Now what do we do? We’re screwed, people.”

  Gaveer stepped closer to the pile of rubble, rock, and dirt that plugged the tunnel. He peered upward, then pointed at the ceiling. “Is that a hole?”

  Mellori went up behind the Seneecian to shine his light above them. Kelen stared in surprise at the obvious hole about half a meter overhead, directly above the collapse.

  “It appears the ceiling gave way during the trembler,” Gaveer told them. He suddenly jumped up and grabbed the edge of the hole that was nearly as wide as the tunnel. Surprisingly, the edge held. Slowly, the Seneecian hoisted himself up until his head disappeared into the hole. After a couple of seconds, he lowered himself, let go, and dropped to his feet. “There is another tunnel up there.”

  “What?” They crowded closer to peer up into the blackness.

  Mellori tapped the Seneecian on the arm. “Hoist me up for a look-see.” Putting his tube light into his mouth, he placed a boot in Gaveer’s cupped hands and was lifted up to where he could grab the edges. They saw him play the light around, then the man fell back to the ground.

  “He’s right. There’s definitely another tunnel up there, but get this. It’s not parallel to this one. It’s perpendicular.”

  “Perpendicular?” Jules checked his tablet.

  “It might be another one of those intersecting tunnels,” Kyber suggested.

  Fullgrath nodded. “Well, what do you all think? Should we take it?”

  “I don’t think we have any other choice,” Sandow answered.

  “But is the floor up there stable enough?” Mellori wondered.

  Fullgrath holstered his weapon to free up his hands. �
�Can’t be any less stable than what we’re standing on. Give me a hand up, would you, Massapa?”

  The Seneecians helped to hoist everyone and their supplies up into the next tunnel. Kyber lifted Kelen. She grabbed the rock rim, dragged herself onto the floor, then rolled over to make room for the next person. After they were gathered, lights were shone down the darkness.

  “Looks like just another tunnel,” Fullgrath observed. He flashed his light ahead and behind them. “Which way do we go? Flip a coin?”

  “We may end up finding our way blocked again,” Tojun said.

  Jules stepped forward, holding up his tablet. “We go that way,” he announced, pointing.

  “Why that way?” Kelen queried.

  “I can’t promise anything, but I think if this way remains clear, we’ll end up where one of these lights is located.”

  “Are you sure?” Kelen checked the tablet, peering over Jules’ shoulder.

  “What color light? What location?” Sandow asked.

  The ex-navigator made a face. “I don’t know the location. It’s a purple light, and I have no idea what that means.”

  “Hey, as long as it opens up into a bigger space, I’m game. I’ve never been claustrophobic, but I’m starting to hate these small, dinky-ass enclosed tunnels.” Checking his blaster, Fullgrath waved for them to follow. “Let’s go, people. Time’s a-wasting.”

  Chapter 10

  Purple

  Unlike the other tunnel, this one remained more or less horizontal. Other than the usual turns and curves they’d come to expect, it didn’t ascend or descend. Jules remained behind Fullgrath, his tablet held in front of him as he continued to watch their progress.

  “Are we still heading for that purple dot?” Kelen asked the ex-navigator.

  “So far.”

  “Jules, how does this thing know our location? I mean, what is it tracking?”

  “It’s programmed to track me.”

  “How?”

  He gave her a wink and patted his breast pocket. “Little doodad Dox threw together.”

  His comment reminded her of the small communication devices she’d seen the unique young man working on. “I noticed Dox working on a dozen communicators. I bet those will include trackers in them when they’re completed.”

  Jules nodded but didn’t comment.

  She slowed, letting Sandow and Tojun pass her, and allowed Kyber to catch up. As she waited, she pulled one of the pain capsules from her pocket and swallowed it dry.

  “You are giving off heat,” he remarked when he pulled even. “You are running a fever.”

  “I wouldn’t be surprised.”

  “I saw you take one of Sandow’s medications he gave you.”

  She threw a startled look at him, unaware he’d witnessed her interaction with the physician. On second thought, it shouldn’t have been that much of a shock. “You’ve been watching me like a hawk, haven’t you?” she gently accused.

  “What is a hawk?”

  “An animal on my world with acute vision. We use the phrase to describe someone who studies something intently, hoping to catch some sign of weakness.”

  “Yes. I have been keeping you under intense scrutiny.”

  She managed a smile. “Thank you.”

  He appeared surprised. “Why are you thanking me?”

  “Because I know you do it out of love.”

  “I have more reason than that,” he told her. “So much of what I do now is not just because of my feelings for you.”

  “More than love?” A feeling of warmth curled through her after hearing his admission.

  “You have caused me to look inside myself and test myself for the truths I have seen but for years have ignored. You have saved my life more times than I can repay, and you continue to fight for me, even at the risk of your own self.”

  “You do the same for me,” she refuted.

  “It is not the same thing. I have come to the realization that if I and my crew members had crashed alone on this world, by this time I would most probably be dead. If you had not been with your people when we encountered each other at the temple, I would be dead.” He placed a hand on his hip, his only signal to her that his wound continued to pain him. She noticed his wince of pain and commented on it.

  “Most of what you’ve suffered has been because of me as well.”

  “But most of these injuries would not have come about had you not been here, because I would have perished first.”

  She chuckled. “Your logic is skewed, but your sincerity is touching.” She started to say more when Kleesod moved up from where he’d been watching their rear.

  “I may be imagining it, but it feels as though the temperature is getting warmer.”

  “Now that you’ve mentioned it, it does,” Kelen said.

  “I agree. Jules, what is the current temperature?” Kyber called out.

  “Uhh, two degrees Celsius. No longer below freezing.”

  “It feels as if it has grown warmer in the past few minutes,” Kleesod commented.

  Jules stopped and stood to the side. “You’re right. According to this, it’s warmed up one degree…every ninety meters.”

  Fullgrath paused and gave a bark of laughter. “Another friggin’ three.”

  The others halted for a moment. Sandow took the opportunity to bring up breakfast. “We haven’t eaten today. This would be a good time to take in some nourishment. Fortify ourselves for whatever we may encounter once we reach our purple place.”

  They ate quickly and buried their refuse in the loosened dirt piled along the base of the walls. Kelen also took advantage of the break to change her padding and stuff it into one of the cracks in the floor, covering it with dirt and packing it down before they moved on.

  Sandow had been right. She felt better after eating. With the temperature becoming more tolerable, she allowed herself a bit of hope. Hope they’d find a place where they could bunker down for a day or two. Hope they’d find a source of food and water. Hope they’d find a way back to the other temple.

  What if what we find here is better than what we left behind? She mulled over that possibility.

  If we go back, we’ll be closer to our crashed ships, her subconscious argued.

  What good is our crashed ships? We’ve already scavenged everything from them that we can use.

  Have we?

  Damn her subconscious.

  Deep in thought, she nearly ran into Massapa, who walked in front of her. Curious, she maneuvered around the Seneecian to see why everyone else had also stopped. Please, let it not be another collapse.

  She blinked, unable to believe what she saw.

  Mellori grunted. “Well, it is represented by the color purple.”

  Yes, it was. Far ahead of them, perhaps thirty more meters down the tunnel, they could see a light filtering through an opening. A light that was definitely purplish in color. Or, in this case, a dark lavender.

  They advanced with caution and relief. As the light grew brighter and lighter in tint, the air also became noticeably warmer. When Kelen moved up next to Jules, she glanced at the tablet.

  Six degrees Celsius.

  He caught her reading over his shoulder. “Warm enough to sustain life,” he murmured.

  The tunnel opened up to a manmade cavern. They stepped onto a long, narrow slab of rock and stared at the unbelievable sight.

  The cavern’s floor was one solid sheet of…

  “Is that metal?” Kelen asked aloud.

  “Looks like it,” Mellori answered. He walked over to the edge of the slab and peered over the side. “It’s just a step down. Hold on.” He sat. Swinging his legs around, he tested the surface, hitting it with his booted feet, then stood to see if it would support his weight. “I can’t tell you what kind of metal it is, but it’s solid and strong.”

  “What color is it? Is it gray or white or…”

  “Hard to tell in this light.”

  “Damn, this place is huge!” Fullgrath exclaime
d. “How in hell can there be one solid slab of metal that big? Damn room can fit the Manta inside it!”

  Kelen agreed. “I’d venture to say it’s as big as the garden and the orange rooms at the other temple.”

  “Bigger,” Dox chimed in.

  “At least we know now why it’s designated with a purple button,” Mellori dryly remarked.

  Kelen moved closer to the edge of the rock. Sunlight poured through opaque windows which filled one wall. The panes were the origin of the violet cast. The purplish glow filled the room that was otherwise and virtually…

  “Empty,” she whispered to herself. “This place is nothing but one big empty room. Why?” She glanced over at where Mellori stood with his mouth agape. “What is the purpose of this place?”

  “Maybe someone stole all the furniture,” Fullgrath jested.

  Kleesod crouched down to study the floor. “What I cannot understand is how this floor has managed to remain flat after two distinct disturbances…that we know of.”

  Tojun squatted beside him. “Perhaps it is tensile and can adjust, which is why it did not buckle or break.”

  “What do we do now?” Kelen asked.

  “If this place is on the panel in the upper temple, then there has to be a corresponding panel here,” Kyber reminded them. “We need to find that panel.”

  “I agree,” Mellori remarked. “But where would it be?”

  Kyber waved at them. “Spread out. Ring the edge of this platform and see if you can spot it.”

  They lined up along the rock rim and tried to locate the teleportation console. After a few minutes, Sandow sighed loudly. “Perhaps it’s somewhere where we can’t see it from this vantage point.”

  “You got a point, Doc,” Fullgrath agreed. The ex-weapon’s master pointed to one side of the cavern. “I’m going to start over there. Someone, Kleesod? You start over on that side.” He pointed to the opposite end of the cavern. “We’ll get a close-up view of the walls and all, and meet in the middle.”

  “What if we do not find the panel once we meet up?” Kleesod asked.

  Fullgrath shrugged, throwing a thumb over his shoulder. “Then I guess we turn ourselves around and head back down that tunnel to see what’s on the other end.”