Chapter 13 Venom
Venom
I wanted to wrap my body around her, protect her from what was to come.
I was so very tempted. But I resisted the urge, tensed my muscles and tried to focus on what was being said.
I hadn't expected the game makers to find us this quickly.
Maybe they had managed to re-activate my mate's tracker faster than I'd thought possible.
Or they had sent a drone through a portal, even though that should short-circuit any drone that attempted it.
How ever they had figured out that we were in the Diamond Heights, it was bad news for us. And for the chii.
I rubbed my neck where I assumed I now sported a mark similar to my mate's.
I could just about feel the presence of Ba'quoo's mind when I focused on the chii that I mind-linked to.
I'd never expected that I would be given this great honour.
I'd interacted with the chii ever since I'd taken my posting on Kalumbu Station and had been introduced to them by my predecessor, but all communication had been short and to the point.
I'd helped them by hiding them on the Trials feeds and they had in return provided me with information about what was happening on the planet's surface.
I'd come to admire them for their tenacity and strength.
Now, I would have to rely on those qualities.
We will have to – I began in my mind, testing the connection. Ma...Clare, can you hear me? Is this working?
I can hear you. She sounded somewhat confused. How can I hear you? We're not mind-linked, are we?
Sa'quii pulled on the connection to signal that she was next to speak. Apparently, there was an etiquette to this mind-speak.
You are linked with me and Venom is linked with Ba'quoo, who is my Chosen. If he did not share this bond with me, you two would not be able to talk to each other.
I had questions about the capabilities of this bond, seeing the potential advantage it might give us in our fight against the game makers, but there was no time.
We have to leave, I announced. We will not put you all at risk. Clare and I have to show ourselves to the drone before the game makers decide to attack this place in order to flush us out.
They cannot see us from the outside, Ba'quoo interjected. We are hidden from view. The diamonds twist the light, letting it into the mountain but disguising us from the outside world.
No, they know we're here. How often do you have a random drone in this area? Exactly. Somehow, they tracked us. It is better if Clare and I leave. Immediately. I very much appreciate your help so far, but I don't want to endanger you any more than we already have.
I agree, Clare said. But where can we go? Is there anywhere that's safe?
I suppressed a cold laugh. No, there wasn't. This planet was created to be a death trap. But I couldn't say that to my mate. I wanted her to hope.
Ba'quoo chirped excitedly. There is another cave, one that the Big Ones used a long time ago. They have not been there in generations. I can lead you there. It is far enough from this den to offer safety to the other chii, yet you should be able to reach it just after sunset.
Fuck. Sunset. The portal had taken me to a different part of the planet, far further to the north than my previous position.
It got cold here at night. Cold enough to pose danger to a naga.
But we also couldn't stay here. And even if we took the portal back, the camera drones were probably scanning that area as well.
There was nowhere to hide on Kalumbu.
Our only hope was to delay our capture long enough for help to arrive. If there was any help to hope for.
I zoned out for a click to check on my communications implant.
No response, but it was still transmitting.
Wait. What if this was how the game makers had tracked us to the Diamond Heights?
Unlikely, highly unlikely. But better safe than sorry.
I turned off the broadcast but kept a channel live to receive any potential message.
If we evaded the drones again and they didn't manage to find us a third time, it would be proof that my implant could be tracked. How ironic would that be.
"Everything okay?" my mate asked aloud. I must have looked strange, unmoving, my gaze focused inwards.
"Yes. Sorry. We should leave soon." I switched back to mental communication. Ba'quoo, Sa'quii, could we get some supplies from you? Food, water, blankets, any kind of weapons you may possess?
We do not use weapons, Sa'quii said dismissively, almost sounding offended at the thought.
But we do sometimes collect what we find in the jungle.
Big Ones drop them carelessly. Ba'quoo will take you to our storage cave, while I will have a little chat with Clare.
There are some things she needs to know.
I was tempted to ask what those things were, and whether we really had time for that, but I knew better than to argue with the leader of the chii. Despite her size, she was a formidable character. I was almost a little scared of her.
By the time we left the diamond cave, the first moon was high in the sky and the second had broken past the horizon. The sun was edging towards the mountain range in the east. We didn't have much time left. The temperature already seemed lower than when I'd arrived.
I searched the skies for the drone.
Ba'quoo pointed south. It is flying somewhere there. Do you want to attract its attention?
It was exactly the opposite of what I wanted to do, but it was necessary for the chiis’ protection. As long as the drone was searching for my mate and I, the chii were in danger.
I sighed grimly. Yes. But you should be gone by the time it gets here. Can you point us towards the other cave?
Ba'quoo chittered with irritation. Why did I get matched with the stupid one? I don't have to be with you to guide you. The other cave is within mind-speak range. I will tell you where to go from the safety of my den.
To my surprise, my mate chuckled. Was she amused on my behalf? Making fun of me?
I had to be better. Smarter. Impress her so she would no longer doubt that we were mates. I had to be the best naga I could be. If only I could have focused completely on my mate rather than surviving on a hostile planet.
"Then let's go," I said aloud. "Give us a few clicks to get away from the cave entrance, then I will make some noise for the drone's sensors."
Ba'quoo swiped his tails against my scales, as if to say goodbye or wish us luck, then jumped off.
Other chii who had been watching us curiously also disappeared into the mountain's heart.
I really hoped we hadn't endangered them with our presence.
This was their safe haven, far from monsters and the Trials.
"It's just us now," Clare said with a brave smile. "Do you think the other cave will be as beautiful as the one we just left?"
"If it's also made of diamonds, that is likely. But I don't know what the chii meant when they said that 'Big Ones' used the cave. If that's to say that the game makers used it, we might not be as safe there as I'd like us to be."
I tightened the straps of the makeshift backpack containing our supplies.
Ba'quoo had also given me an ancient axe that needed sharpening but would do for now.
My mate, insisting that she could carry something, held our blankets.
Even that had been a struggle for me to allow.
The chii had told me what she had been through.
The waters deep within the mountain had healing properties, so they'd said, but even after spending hours floating in there, Clare wasn't fully recovered.
She hid it well, but sometimes she would wince when her leather-wrapped feet stepped on a rock.
We walked in silence, following a narrow path through the rocks that gently climbed past massive boulders.
Around us, the diamond mountains reflected the fading sunlight.
The peaks reached high into the sky, far past the clouds, forming a sharp ring all around us.
We were in a valley, yet even this had to be at quite some altitude, much higher than the jungle.
Sadly, Clare and I would be affected by the altitude before the drones were.
When we were a fair distance from the chii's hideout, I made Clare stop.
We had reached a small plateau that opened up the most magnificent views across the Diamond Heights.
I wished we could stay here for a while, enjoy the scenery, maybe have a romantic picnic.
Instead, we had to call the enemy to us.
How ironic that I was about to purposely endanger our safety.
"It is time," I told my mate. "I will attract the drone's attention. Once it has us tagged, it will stay with us, observing us every click of the day. I very much hope that the cave we are going to has a small enough entrance that we'll have at least some privacy from the game makers."
"Can the drone harm us?" Clare asked with a worried frown.
"No. They have no offensive capabilities. If they're attacked by the local fauna, they can emit a sonic wave to stun beasts for just long enough to get out of their reach, but otherwise, they are built to observe only."
"Good. I mean, not good, I'd rather we didn't have anyone watch us, but I understand it's necessary. Goodbye privacy, I guess."
"Goodbye privacy," I echoed grimly.
I picked up the biggest rock I could safely lift and slammed it against a diamond pillar to my right. The pillar was fine – the rock wasn't. It shattered with a bang, echoed by the mountains around us. I did it again, and a third time, until I picked up the telltale buzz of the drone.
"It is coming," I warned Clare. "From now on, don't mention the chii." At least not aloud. We can speak about important things telepathically.
I was even more grateful to the chii now for giving us access to this ability. It would give us a major advantage that the game makers wouldn't anticipate.
When I saw the drone in the distance, its sleek metal reflecting the light of the setting sun, I motioned for Clare to continue walking.
I let her set the pace, but we were evenly matched.
The path was mostly smooth, but occasionally a sharp rock would scratch against my scales.
Nagas were not made for this environment.
I could already feel the air cooling. Diamonds did not store heat like other rocks, that was very obvious to me now.
We had to reach this other cave as fast as possible.
"It will be dark soon," I said into the silence. "Are you able to walk a little faster? I read Peritans don't have good night vision, and I don't want you to stumble in the dark."
She increased her pace somewhat. I grit my teeth, my fangs digging into my lower lip. I didn't want my mate to have to exhaust herself, yet we had to get to safety. My entire body ached from the climb and I felt myself getting slower. The cold was sucking all the energy from my muscles.
The drone was close now, but kept a small distance from us, as if the game makers were worried we'd attack it.
They knew drones could be destroyed. Contestants did it all the time.
A well-aimed rock, a bang with a tree branch, a slice with a blade.
In other areas of the planet, drones were numerous and easy to replace.
Here, this had to be the only one. I still needed to figure out how it had found us so quickly. Our lives depended on it.
I was out of breath by the time the path widened slightly before turning into another plateau nestled against a huge rockface. A crack shaped like a lightning bolt went all the way from the top of the rock down to where we stood. What could do this to solid rock?
This must be it, I said in my mind, unwilling to let the drone eavesdrop on us. Let's hope the cave hasn't collapsed.
Clare looked at me with dread, and I instantly regretted voicing my fears.
Her gaze flitted to the drone hovering high above us, before settling back on me.
Warmth spread through me; warmth that did not come from the sun.
I smiled at my mate. This was not how I'd imagined meeting her, but I was grateful that we were finally together.
An icy breeze caressed my scales. I could feel the cold seep into my body. I had to find shelter before I became unable to move.
We approached the crack in the rock face. In the fading light, it appeared dark, black almost, as if someone had dipped a paintbrush into midnight itself and carelessly struck the rock with it. But at the bottom, where it met the smooth ground, something sparkled. Another diamond?
Clare bent down to look at it.
"It's a-" She stopped, then continued in my mind. It's a key. At least I think so.
She handed me a tiny diamond obelisk, about the length of my finger. A delicate pattern had been engraved into it on all sides. It reminded me of a web that had been spun around the diamond. Beautiful. But why did my mate think this was a key?
I asked her the question. She grinned.
Because there is a hole in the rock. Look here. I think this will fit.
I handed the obelisk back to her. You found it. You deserve the honour of opening the door. If it is one.
She took it from me, her delicate fingers brushing against my scales.
Our first touch, no matter how small. Something moved deep inside me.
Something that had lain dormant all my life.
I froze. I should have expected this. She was my mate, after all.
But for all the stories I had heard, for all they had taught us in school, I had not expected it to feel this good.
Fingers crossed, my mate said, oblivious to what was going on inside me. Let's see if this works.
I wasn’t sure why she needed to cross her fingers at this moment in time, but there was no time to ask. She pushed the obelisk into the hole. For a moment, nothing happened.
Then the mountain groaned, slowly waking from an age-old sleep.