Knightqueen

Chapter 4

The pretty glade was just a distant memory.

Carys trudged behind Sten, staring at his broad back. He’d been quiet since he’d rushed to her rescue in the water.

Being held against his hard body, his callused palm caressing her breast…

She almost tripped, her belly fluttering. The man had no clue what he did to her. He’d left her in that small pool with her skin itchy and hot need thrumming through her.

How many times had she touched herself, thinking about him? She bit her lip, feeling a little guilty.

He’d barely looked at her for the last hour. Her shoulders slumped. She’d been naked, and he couldn’t get away fast enough.

She focused on walking. They were headed back down into another deep ravine. There had been no other way to cross it. She paused, staring out across the mountains. A wind had picked up and tugged at her hair. The mountain range had a rugged beauty, despite the danger. They reminded her a bit of Sten.

“Carys?”

He was farther down the path, looking back at her.

She hurried to catch up to him.

“Stay alert,” he warned. “There are no doubt more alien beasts down here.”

She nodded. She was still worried about how they were going to get off this planet. Her stomach turned over. The Gek’Dragar were planning something. It was the only reason why they would’ve taken her.

They wanted to destabilize the Oronis, and use her to do it. She wasn’t sure exactly what they had planned, but she knew it would be nothing good.

She swallowed. She had to save her people.

It was times like this that she wished her parents were still alive. Her heart squeezed. That she had someone to talk to.

It was easy to feel alone sometimes. She could be standing in the middle of a crowded ballroom, with dozens of people desperate to talk to her, and still feel alone.

“Hey.” Sten grabbed her arm. Then he held out a water bottle. “Drink.”

Only one person in her life made her feel like she wasn’t alone. Sten was always there for her.

Because it’s his job.

She sipped the water, pushing that thought away. She needed to focus. She needed all her concentration to get across this ravine unscathed. Leaning against the rock wall, she scanned around.

Then she frowned.

Another narrow path, barely discernible, branched off, running up over part of the rocky hill. Probably made by some of the wild animals. She took a step forward and saw a glimmer of something at the top of the rise.

“Carys?”

She handed him back the bottle. “I saw something reflect from up there.”

Sten spun, a hand pressed to his hip. Then he straightened. “I see it.”

“We should check it out.”

He frowned. “It could be Gek’Dragar.”

“Or it could be something that might help us. We’ll be careful.”

“As my queen commands.”

They left the main path and started up the hillside. It was steeper than she’d realized and in places, she had to grip the rocks to haul herself up. Smaller rocks skittered under her feet.

Sten was several steps ahead of her and reached the rise first. He stopped.

Breathing heavily, she moved up beside him and gasped. “What the—?”

The top of this part of the mountain was flat. It was covered in small rocks and dirt, but ahead, was a patch of metal. That’s what she’d seen.

“This isn’t natural,” she said.

Sten shook his head. “No. It’s too flat, and look at that curve.” He pointed.

The edge of the plateau was a perfect semi-circle, projecting out over the side of the mountain.

“Maybe it’s a temple, or something?” She made her way toward the metal. Crouching, she used her hand to clear some of the smaller rocks and debris away.

Definitely silver metal. She saw some sort of alien writing etched into the metal. “Sten, what do you think this is?”

“I think this entire area is metal.” He looked down and sucked in a breath. “And that’s an airlock door.”

Carys gasped. “By the knights, this is a ship?”

Crouching beside her, he moved his hand over the metal. He found a flap and lifted it. Under it were three round black buttons. Sten touched them, and a second later, there was a hiss and a thunk. He jerked his hand back, just as a circular piece of metal retracted and slid open.

Leaving a hole and a ladder leading downward.

“Sten, a ship!” Excitement winged through her. “It might be operational. It’ll definitely have some sort of comms system.”

His brow furrowed. “It looks like it’s been here a long time, Carys. It probably crash-landed. We have no idea what condition—”

She scrambled onto the ladder. “Only one way to find out.” She gripped the rungs.

“Carys,” he growled. “Let me go first.”

“Too late.” She headed down the ladder.

She heard him grumbling as he followed her. Good.

Then guilt hit her. He was worried about her safety. It wasn’t his fault he’d hurt her feelings.

She had to put that moment in the pool behind her.

Climbing off the ladder, she looked around.

The ship was in a bad state. Panels had fallen from the ceiling and cables dangled everywhere. Chairs had been ripped from the floor and flung around. Dust covered everything.

Sten’s boots clunked on the floor, and he looked around too. “I don’t recognize the design.”

Carys didn’t either. Ducking some cables, she headed toward the front of the ship.

“Carys, be careful.”

She half expected to find some bodies or skeletons of whoever the ship had belonged to, but thankfully, she didn’t see any. She squeezed through a damaged doorway and into the cockpit.

There were four curved seats in front of a long control panel. Old scorch marks told her there had been a fire. She wondered what had happened to the people who’d crashed here. The viewscreen was covered in grime, but through one clear patch, she saw the ravine below.

The ship was perched right on the edge of the cliff, but she figured since it had been here for decades, it was safe enough.

She tried the control panel. “Nothing.” Frustration chewed at her.

Sten slid a hand over the built-in screen. “No power.” He dropped down and slid under the console. “Let me take a look.” He yanked a panel off.

“I didn’t know you were any good with ship systems.” She perched on the edge of a chair and watched him work.

“I’m not. But you know I grew up on a farm. My father could fix every bit of equipment he had. He taught me a few things.”

Sten rarely talked about himself or his family. All she knew was that his mother had died when he’d been young, and he’d been raised by his father.

“Have you seen your father lately?”

He yanked on some wires, then paused. “He died nine months ago.”

Carys gasped. “You never told me! You didn’t take any time off.”

“There was nothing to be done. I saw to his funeral.” His tone was gruff.

“Time off to grieve, Sten.”

“I didn’t need time.”

She looked up at the ceiling. The man drove her crazy sometimes. “Losing someone important to you hurts.”

“He’d lived a good, honest life.”

She looked back and saw he was watching her.

“Dad was proud of me for becoming a knight. He died content.”

Sten was alone now too, like she had been for so long. “Sten—”

He touched some wires together and there was a shower of sparks. Lights flickered to life on the console.

She leaped to her feet. “You did it.”

“It’s only emergency power.” He rose and dusted off his hands.

Carys swiped the control panel. “I can’t read this text, but hopefully it’s got a standard configuration for the system.” She tapped and swiped, trying to find the communications. “Got it.” She pressed the screen.

A red warning flashed up.

Her heart sank. “That doesn’t look good.”

Sten pressed his palm to the screen and stared ahead. “Let me see if I can connect via my implants.”

She saw his eyes flicker, then he pulled his hand away.

She read it in his face. “It’s not functional.”

He shook his head. “The communication array was destroyed. There’s no way to transmit a message.”

Sten watched Carys whirl,then kick a chair.

“Ow.” She hopped a little and made a frustrated sound.

“Hey.” He knew he shouldn’t touch her, but he wanted to comfort her. He settled his palms over her shoulders. “We’ll find a way off this planet.”

“How long will that take?” She sagged back against him. “The Gek’Dragar are planning an attack, I can feel it. I need to protect our people.”

“Ashtin and the others already know the Gek’Dragar are a threat. They’ll be ready.” He slid an arm around her and rested his chin on the top of her head. “It’s going to be all right.”

She pulled in a ragged breath. “I want to believe that.” She pressed her hand to his arm. “Is this the moment where you pull away from me like I have the tellarian flu?”

He stiffened. “It isn’t right that I’m touching you.”

“It feels right to me.” She brushed her fingers over his arm. “I like you touching me, Sten.”

Gul. He fought back a shudder.

“I liked you touching me earlier.” Her voice was quiet. “At the pool.”

“That should never have happened.” He couldn’t risk letting free all the things he felt for her. “I’m your knightguard. I can’t be distracted. I can’t…”

She turned and looked up at him. Her eyes looked like melted gold. “We’re allowed to feel. I’m not just a queen, you know.”

“I know.”

Her lips tightened. “I don’t think you do. I’m a woman, and being this close to you…” She stroked a hand up his arm. “It makes me want so many things.”

Gul. “Carys—”

A sudden explosion rocked the ship. She collided with his chest, and he caught her.

“What was that?” she cried.

Alarms blared from the control console. Sten staggered toward it. He cursed.

“What?” She gripped his arm.

“The emergency power’s built up in damaged parts of the engine. It’s—”

Another explosion. This one shot the ship forward.

Sten felt it tip. He grabbed Carys and watched as the viewscreen dipped.

Giving them a view down into the ravine below.

She clung to him. “It’s going over the edge!”

Instinct took over. Sten stooped and threw Carys over his shoulder. He charged out of the cockpit, climbing up as the angle of the floor increased.

Metal groaned and objects broke loose, raining down on them.

There was no time to get out of the ship. They needed somewhere strong enough to withstand the fall. Staggering, he moved down a metal corridor, dodging more debris.

There. A doorway. He shouldered it open and flung himself inside.

He rolled so he landed on the floor first, cushioning Carys.

It was a meeting room of some kind, with a long table bolted to the floor. A floor that was almost vertical now.

“Under the table,” he yelled.

She crawled under the table, and he followed. He gripped the table and braced his legs, then pulled her into the shelter of his body.

“Hold on.”

She burrowed against him, wrapping her arms around his body.

Metal screeched and for a second, the ship hung motionless.

Then it fell.

He held on tight to the table and Carys. He braced for impact.

“Sten—” Her gaze met his.

He hated seeing her afraid. “I’ve got you. Keep looking at me.”

Crash.