Chapter 12
CHAPTER
TWELVE
ARKAN
My little hope is unconscious, and the sight of her sagging against her safety harnesses as the ship lurches into the large body of water I aimed us for makes me sick with worry. The light inside the ship dies, and the emergency lights flicker on a moment later. I work as quickly as I can, checking pack after pack of supplies that I tied together while we careened towards this planet hours ago.
At least she is sleeping.
The little female is delicate, more delicate than I feared, purple blossoming around her chest where the harness has exerted too much pressure on her body.
Ken the beast honks in dismay, and I grab at him, strapping him to my front with a makeshift harness.
Grunting, I heft the still unconscious Maggie onto my back, likewise strapping her to me. The most precious cargo I have ever carried, and one I am determined to keep safe.
Water covers the ship’s window to the outside world, bubbles obscuring the view.
Were we in a Zerinian ship, I’d be able to deploy a pod to safely evacuate from this body of water. I would be able to calculate how deep we were, and whether or not we could safely make it to shore.
Were we in a Zerinian ship, though, none of this would have come to pass.
Maggie’s head falls on my shoulder and I grunt, pulling the emergency supply packs on a makeshift sled.
None of this would have come to pass, and I would not have met Maggie.
My little hope, strapped to my back, suddenly the most important thing in my entire life.
I would rather be in a Zerinian ship, yes—but I wouldn’t trade anything in the world for this female that I’ve decided to care for, to make mine.
I suck in a deep breath, my tail wrapped around Maggie’s back to provide her limp form extra support. The tip of my tail goes to the back of her head to ensure she isn’t jostled more than she needs to be.
If only there were a breathing apparatus, or any kind of gear for navigating underwater.
I square my shoulders, ignoring the indignant Ken, who is biting at my chest in a futile effort to get away from me.
“My nipples are not the key to your freedom,” I tell him gravely. “Be brave, killer beast, for we must yet survive the swim to the surface.”
I can no longer put off our departure. Every second I tarry, we slip further beneath the surface.
In fact, the sensation of sinking must have become so familiar that I no longer feel it at all.
That, along with Maggie’s slow breaths warming the curve of my neck, spurs me to action.
My fingers clench around the mechanical door release, and I heave.
The door does not budge.
I heave again, throwing all my weight behind it. My muscles begin to shake from the effort, the air-locked door proving to be a real problem.
It does not move.
Swearing under my breath, my gaze darts around for something I could use, perhaps as a lever to unstick the near-antique handle.
There.
Ken looses his grip on my nipple for a short moment, but as I squat, jerking one of the chairs from the floor, he clamps back down.
I grunt, the creature’s serrated mouth finally beginning to chafe the sensitive skin there.
I glare at the beady-eyed beast. “That is unkind. I am trying to save us all.”
Ken honks from around my nipple, and I sigh.
A quick glance tells me Maggie is still out cold on my back.
I ram the long base of the chair into the mechanical opening device, squeezing the defunct seat as I attempt to turn the handle.
I groan, gritting my teeth.
Finally, finally, the door gives.
And oh, does it ever give.
The locked wheel pops off at the same time the hatch opens, water pouring through the stream in a devastating rush.
Ken lets go of my nipple and struggles against me, his webbed feet scratching against my chest in his panic.
As for Maggie, she slumbers on, blissfully unaware of the chaos and disaster unfurling around her.
The thought makes me move.
I lunge for the opening, knowing every second I waste worrying means another second we will be without air as I swim for the surface.
Quick as I can, I hyperventilate, filling my lungs with air, forcing air into my bloodstream.
Icy water drenches my pants, Ken squawking piteously as he rises and falls along with my breathing—and then I dive through the opening, fighting against the forceful current filling the ship and dragging it into the depths.
A watery landing was, of course, the best course of action for a crash landing. That would be more difficult for the Kryger to recover anything from—but this is hardly ideal.
My lungs burn as I swim, the water tugging me back towards the ship.
I kick furiously, but each kick only succeeds in slamming against the hull of the ship.
Panic sets in and I swim harder, faster, my tail tight around where Maggie’s rigged to my back, the bags trailing behind us, dead weight only serving to pull us close to the ship.
I kick again, fighting, and my knee hits something hard.
The ship, I think, and then it hits me.
It’s not the ship at all—it’s the ground.
Relief and confusion war with each other, and I cannot believe how foolish I have been. I nearly choke on water as I laugh, then stand up. It’s not an easy task, considering the weight of the supplies—and the fact that gravity must be much stronger here than I expected.
Because the ship isn’t sinking, no more than it did at first, at least. The body of water we landed in is only waist-high.
We’re going to be fine.
“C-c-c-c-cold,” a small voice says near my ear. “It’s c-c-c-c-cold.”
Maggie shivers against me. “I’m a soggy potato,” she says faintly.
The next thing I know, she’s limp again, and this time, worry truly sets in.
What if she was damaged in the crash?
I will never forgive myself.
My little hope must survive.
She must.
I trudge through the water, her body dead weight on my shoulders, proof she’s still there reassuring as much as her silence is disturbing.
I do not know much about the care and keeping of humans. My petite mate shivers behind me, water sluicing from her hair down my chest.
We need to find shelter. I need to warm her up, and I need to do it fast.
Onward.
The lake, as it appears to be, stretches on for miles all around, and I fear it will be long before I reach the shoreline.
A small, wretched moan comes from Maggie’s mouth.
I start to run.