Chapter 11
Complete and utter terror. Cael's mind was filled with it.
This was ten times worse than feeling his way on his hands and knees through the mountain cave. Then, he sensed the mountain pressing down all around him, and it was frightening. But now, in the water, in total darkness, there was no up or down. Nothing but the pull of the current yanking him along. He didn't know which direction was up. His lungs ached for air. If he didn't surface soon –
His foot grazed along something solid. The ground! The stream must be growing more shallow. Cael pushed off, and within two strokes, he surfaced. Sputtering, he turned onto his back and allowed the current to carry him. He called out for Midori several times, but with the rushing water echoing off the cave walls, it was impossible to hear. And in the pitch black, it was impossible to see as well.
Cael had a sense the tunnel had opened up, and the ceiling was far above. When he reached out, his hands touched only open space. It was strange and disorienting. But even though it was frightening to not be able to see, he was most concerned with being separated from Midori.
What if she hasn't found her way to the surface? What if he'd passed by her in the dark? There was no way to know, and that scared him even more.
A rushing sound filled his ears. The water beneath him disappeared, and his body dropped. Cael's arms pinwheeled in the empty air for a few seconds before he hit the water below. He sank under the pressure of water streaming over the underground waterfall, but when his feet touched the ground, he pushed up and surfaced once more.
Coughing, he spit up the water he'd swallowed in the surprise drop, catching him off guard. He would be listening for more waterfalls in the future, now he knew what they sounded like. He bobbed along for a moment until the current grabbed him again and pulled him through a narrower space where his outstretched arms could detect the sides of the cave walls.
A new fear ran through his mind. What if the tunnel grew so small they couldn't pass through it? A terrifying image filled his head of his, Midori's, and Pugly's drowned bodies jammed together against a small hole underwater.
No. That's not going to happen. Don't even think that way.
But his heart refused to stop galloping with fear. There was no way to know if they'd escaped the vyrmm by literally jumping to their death.
The current sped up, and the sound of rushing water let him know he was headed toward another waterfall. Cael prepared himself with a deep breath and was ready for the plunge when his body slid over the side. This drop was even longer, and he hit the water with such force his injuries screamed in pain and his entire body stung. The water was frigid now. Freezing, even. The hot spring must have combined with another icy mountain stream.
Cael surfaced. His ears filled with the roar of the waterfall, but he noticed light for the first time since he'd first taken the plunge with Midori into the stream. The light was dim, but it was enough for him to make out the giant pool of water he was bobbing in and three waterfalls combining in a great mountain cavern, creating a barrage of sound.
He swam toward the light. Surely Midori had come this way as well. It called to him like a beacon, and he drew near. It was another waterfall, and it led outside. Cael could only hope the falls didn't drop onto a dangerous outcropping of rocks. One moment, he was inside the mountain cave, the next he was flying through the air, blinded by sunlight.
Water swallowed him whole, and a sharp rock gashed his thigh. It was easy for Cael to ignore the pain—he was so elated to be out of the mountain. He surfaced the water with a cry of joy. He'd made it. He was alive. Now, he needed to find Midori.
Cael's eyes blurred in the bright light, but he could see the shore in the distance. He swam his way across, his vision growing used to the daylight. The trees here differed from the ones on the mountain. These swayed in the breeze with pink feathery leaves. And the snow—it was gone. He must be at the base of the mountain.
Cael wiped at his eyes as he approached the shore and noticed two figures lying on a sandy beach. His heart stopped. Midori and the pig dog were lying motionless on the ground. Were they . . . ? Had she . . . ?
Cael splashed through the water and ran onto the edge of the shore. "Midori!"
Please, Goddesses of the Universe. Please don't let her be. . .
He skidded to a stop on his knees next to Midori's still body, his hands hovering over her with uncertainty. His stomach clenched, and his breath caught in his lungs.
Midori's eyelids fluttered open. Cael released a cry of relief and lowered his forehead down to press against hers, still careful of touching her in case any part of her was injured.
"Thank the Goddesses. For a moment I thought. . . "
Midori's arms wrapped instantly around him. She tugged at his shoulders until he was staring into her deep brown eyes. She brought a hand to his cheek and swiped away an escaped tear before she lifted her chin and tugged his head down until his lips touched hers. Her lips were soft, but they pressed against his with an urgency mirrored by his own. He almost lost her. He could have lost her. It would have been so easy—she was so fragile. Yet, the small human female was stronger than she looked, for here she was—safe in his arms. He would never lose her again. Whatever the future held, for his part, he was going to make sure she was in it. For as long as she wanted.
Midori's lips parted beneath his, and her sweet pink tongue swished against his lips. Cael opened his mouth and relished her soft tongue sliding against his, inviting him to explore. He did so eagerly. Her hand slipped behind his neck, her fingers entwined in his hair, and she pulled him close as if he was oxygen and she was breathing him in.
"I don't suppose I get a greeting like that, do I?" The pig dog snorted and rose to his feet next to them before shaking his shaggy wet hair and dousing both of them in water.
Reluctantly, Cael released Midori, and she sat up and scratched the beast behind his ears. "I'm glad you're all right too, Pugly."
The pig dog snuffed his appreciation and flopped to the ground with his head in her lap. The beast stared up at her with a look of complete admiration and utter fascination. Cael knew the feeling. He wondered if Pugly thought he held a similar look on his face when he looked into Midori's eyes.
Pugly's stomach rumbled loudly, making Midori giggle.
"My apologies, oh divine scratcher of ears and other spots I can't reach. I'll go in search of food." Pugly rolled to his feet and blinked his four eyes a few times before he said, "I'll announce my return in case you two are . . . indisposed." He snorted and trotted off into the lush fuchsia-colored forest.
Cael turned to see a broad smile on Midori's face until her eyes rested on his arm.
"Oh god. In the crazy water slide through the mountain, I'd forgotten you were hurt." She sat up and examined him. "This gash on your leg doesn't look so good, either. You must be in pain."
Cael grimaced. True, it hurt, but the cold water had numbed it somewhat. Now that he was out of the water and his body was warming up, the pain was increasing.
"You're bleeding. We need to bind those wounds."
"Use my vest. It's already torn."
He slipped off the silver vest—what was left of it. His skirmish with the vyrmm and the subsequent journey through the rapids had torn the fabric to shreds. Midori pulled off a fraying piece and used it to create a makeshift bandage for the gash on his thigh. He could only hope infection didn't set in. She tore apart the rest and created a bandage for his arm.
She held the fabric up, then paused. "You're covered in sand. If I put this on, it'll just chafe your skin. I know you're as sick of being in the water as I am, but I think we should wash you off."
"What about you? Are you injured anywhere?"
Midori looked over her arms and legs. "Just a few minor scratches. I'll be fine. Come on."
Cael nodded and stood, and they headed back into the lagoon. The water was chilly, but not nearly as cold as it had been inside the mountain. Midori scooped some up with her cupped hands and poured it over his skin.
"You're too tall for me to get it all. Do you mind sitting down?"
Cael complied and sat down in the pool. The water was still shallow, coming up only to his belly, but it gave Midori easy access to his torso. She washed the remaining bit of sand off his skin before she slipped the bandage around his arm and tied it.
"It's tangled a bit in the back," she said, slipping behind him and running her finger beneath the fabric. Her fingers finished adjusting the bandage and began trailing down the skin of his spine, warm and soft against his cool skin.
He turned his head to look at her, but her attention was transfixed. He could only guess she was captivated by his flesh runes. Once they became an adult, every Zyranthian had them applied each year on their birthing day, both men and women. By the time he was an elder, he'd be covered in the black and blue markings.
"Tell me about these."
Midori's finger traced the largest of the images on his back. His family seal. He'd had it altered before he boarded the slave ship, so no one would recognize the royal house.
"The markings tell the story of my life, if you know how to read them. Each year on our birthing day, we tell that year's story to historians. They use ancient tools and texts to imprint our story onto our skin. When we pass on to the next life, our story is revealed for everyone to read. Do you not have such a tradition on your planet?"
"No, not really. I mean, some people get tattoos, even cover their entire body with them, but they're not like this. They don't tell a complete history of the person underneath them."
Cael's stomach tightened at Midori's words. His story had been altered. If he hadn't manipulated the markings, they'd tell of his life as a prince in the royal palace. He'd planned on having them repaired and adjusted back to normal on his next birthing day, but now his story would include Midori as well. He couldn't wait to see how the historians would draw out her story on his flesh.
"They're beautiful. They look like horseshoes. Lucky horseshoes."
Cael's language nanites did their best to translate the idea of a horse, though he'd never seen one before.
"You consider the footwear of beasts of burden to be lucky on your planet?" he said with some doubt.
Midori laughed, and the tinkling lilt of her voice in his ear was magical. He wasn't sure what he'd said to cause her mirth, but he'd happily say it again if it caused her to laugh once more.
"Not exactly. I'm not sure where the story came from, but horseshoes are considered lucky. I guess that means I'm lucky to have you around." She trailed her fingers over his shoulder and, straddling his legs, sat down on his lap. Midori looked deep into his eyes and her face grew serious. "You've been my lucky charm since I ran into you. Thank you."
Her lips pressed against his, and instantly his cock hardened. Midori shifted her weight forward onto the length of him and pulled her lips away just for a moment to say, "There's no telling when Pugly will be back. I think we should make the most out of the time we have."