Chapter 13
Mara
Mara had buried her head underneath the blanket. Thankfully the fire stayed lit all night or it would have become unbearable. But she knew she couldn’t hide there all day. They had to get moving. Finally, she threw the blanket off.
Sitting up, she glanced around the campsite. All the tents were gone and there was no one there.
“Vaelor?” she called out.
“I’m here!”
She looked over where his voice came from. He was walking back from the trees. Mara got to her feet and began to deflate her bedding.
“When did everyone leave?”
“Twenty minutes ago.”
“Why didn’t you wake me?”
“You were restless last night and needed to rest as long as possible.”
“It was sweet that he wanted to allow her more time to rest, but they couldn’t afford to be even ten minutes behind the others.”
“I’ll be ready in two minutes.”
“Take your time. You should eat and relieve yourself before we head out.”
Now she frowned at him. “We’re already twenty minutes behind everyone else.”
“There’s no challenge today, we only have to travel to the third campsite. There’s no rush in that. This is the time we can take to recuperate from our previous ordeal.”
“I would appreciate it if you would include me in decisions like that.”
The expression on his face was one of surprise and frustration.
“Look, I’m sure that on your planet, you don't have to ask anyone else for their opinion. But here…” she pointed at him then at herself. “Here, we are partners. That means I get a say in things that affect me. How would you feel if I had let you sleep while everyone else got up and left.”
He grunted. “I am a clan leader, so I do make the decisions and they are usually final. But I understand your point. I will try to include you in future decisions that affect you.”
“Thank you.”
She finished putting her bedding back into her pack. She pulled out a nutrition bar and ate it quickly.
“I will cover the fire if you want to use the woods for privacy to relieve yourself.”
Mara was slightly embarrassed, but it was a natural process.
She hurried into the wooded area and found a spot.
She could have used the pouch in her pack, but this was faster.
Minutes later she was done and used the dry sanitizer to clean her hands.
If she had her tent, she would have used the dry sanitizer to clean her whole body.
What she wouldn’t give to sink into a nice hot bubble bath.
“Ready?” he called out.
“Coming!”
She grabbed her pack and put it on. Then ran out to catch up to him. The sun was rising, lighting up the world with silver and white. A light breeze made her shiver. She pushed the control panel on her sleeve to adjust the temperature.”
“How long do you think it will take to get to the next campsite?” she asked.
“If all the campsites are about the same distance apart, maybe three hours.”
“Did anyone confess to shredding my tent?”
“No, but any of them could have done it. Don’t trust anyone.”
“No one but you, right partner?”
He grunted.
They walked a distance away from the campsite. Mara noticed that he was being cautious in the path he took. There was another path that was free of broken ice and snow.
“Vaelor, why aren't you taking the smoother path?” she asked.
“Sometimes the path that looks right is the one meant to mislead you.”
She smiled. “That sounds almost philosophical.”
“No one has ever accused me of being that.”
Mara laughed. “It’s a first for you then.”
Their path led them through a beautiful icy landscape. It was hillier than what they had traveled before and this time, she had a view of the clear ocean water in the distance. Her breath caught at the beauty before her.
They had been walking for about an hour and a half. The sun was almost at the highest peak.
“We can take a moment to rest, eat and drink something,” he offered.
“Don’t stop on my behalf. I can keep going.”
He looked at her. “I know that you can keep going. But if we take a moment to rest, not over due it, we can still make it to camp before the sun sets. By going slow and taking it easy, we’ll be more prepared tomorrow for the next challenge.”
She considered it. “You’re right.”
“I know.”
That made her roll her eyes at him. She shrugged off her pack and stretched her arms and shoulders. She opened her pack and pulled out the shredded tent. He looked at her with confusion.
She laughed as she explained. “I can’t use it as a tent anymore, but most of the material is here. I will spread it on the ground, so we have something dry to sit on. We can pull out food and drinks. It will be like a picnic.”
“What is that?” he asked.
“It’s basically what we are doing now. Sitting out a blanket of sorts, sitting down, eating and drinking and enjoying the day. Of course, on Earth it is usually done in warmer weather, at a park on grass.”
“On my planet, this would be the warmer season.”
“Really? Is this warm to you?”
He shrugged. “If you felt the Cold Season on Crytharia, you would understand.”
She pulled out her food pouch and motioned for him to sit down across from her. He removed his own food pack and sat down. They drank their water and ate their food.
Mara wanted to know more about Vaelor. “Tell me more about the different seasons and how your people live through them.”
“I will if you answer my questions,” he told her.
Now she was confused. “There’s not much about me to know.”
“That is the deal.”
She sighed. “Fine. But you tell me about the seasons.”
He stared out at the ocean. “The Cold Season is the most brutal period on my world. When it comes, the surface dies. Not slowly. All at once.”
Mara paused, food forgotten. “Dies how?”
“The temperatures drop so far that exposed flesh freezes in moments,” he said simply. “Metal cracks. Ice storms blind you. Nothing survives above ground—not for long.”
“So… what do you do?”
“We retreat.” His voice was steady, but there was weight beneath it. “Every clan. We abandon the surface entirely and descend into the planet. Our settlements are carved deep into the stone, as close to the core as we dare. Even the wildlife retreats beneath the surface to survive. Most hibernate.”
“Because it’s warmer,” she guessed.
“Yes. The core gives off heat—constant, dependable. It’s the only thing that keeps us alive during the frozen death above.” He glanced at her. “We call them Clan-Settlements. That’s where we live for most of the cycle. Train. Repair. Endure.”
Mara frowned slightly. “What about food?”
“Meat is scarce,” he admitted. “Hunting on the surface is impossible. We ration what we preserved during the Warm Season. Every decision is measured. Waste is not forgiven. Our underground gardens have had a few bad seasons.”
She absorbed that quietly, then asked, “So the Warm Season is better?”
Vaelor’s mouth curved, not quite a smile. “Better… and worse.”
“The ice retreated just enough for us to return to the surface. Lakes form—blue and green, so clear they look like fractured crystals scattered across the world. For a short time, Crytharia is beautiful.”
“That sounds… kind of amazing,” she said softly.
“It is,” he agreed. “And it’s the only time we can hunt fresh meat, gather what little plant life survives. We work constantly. Everything we take must last through the next Cold Season.”
“And the danger?” she asked.
He met her gaze then. “The Warm Season brings the most blood.”
Mara stiffened.
“The storms fade. The skies clear. Which means we are visible.” His jaw tightened. “Hunters on open ice are easy targets. Pirates. Rival clans. Enemy ships. Without the Cold Season to hide us, we are exposed.”
“So when it’s warm enough to live…” she said slowly, “…it’s also when you’re most likely to die.”
“Yes.”
“Why haven’t you asked the Galactic Nations for assistance, especially against the constant attacks from pirates?”
“You have to be recognized and accepted by the Galactic Nations for them to offer help.”
“Is that why you joined in the games? To get Crytharia recognized?"
“Yes. With recognition comes protection and possible trade. It would give more resources to my people so that we can improve our lives. As a clan leader, they are my responsibility.”
They ate in silence for a few moments after that.
She thought about it. He was used to planning for survival, not comfort. He would think in seasons—what would come next, not what felt good now.
“That explains a lot about you,” Mara said finally.
Vaelor glanced at her. “My turn.”
Mara leaned back on her pack. “Shoot.”