Chapter 7
Seven
Autumn slurped the cold meat down greedily that Armienti had brought her. It was her first meal in days, and she didn’t know whether she’d be eating again. She couldn’t believe she was eating meat, but it was better than starvation. The gristle slid down her throat and she choked back a wave of nausea, yet she found the food satisfying.
She was careful to keep a close watch on Armienti. She wanted nothing more than to bash his skull against the stonewall of the cave to thank him for his betrayal. Like a lady, she refrained.
Still in disbelief about their predicament, her mind raced. They were stuck on this strange ice planet with no escape, and a murderous alien witch hunted them day in and day out.
It was all his fault.
The rhythmic marching of Valdez’s soldiers had finally stopped with the coming of night. Millions of stars twinkled through the dark sky. Rainbow ice sparkled across the ground.
“When you’re finished, we should get moving,” Armienti gestured to the opening of the cave. “We’ll need water and warmth if we’re to survive a harsh climate like this one. It makes the Earth winter seem like summer.”
“Shut up,” Autumn gulped down the remainder of her cold meat. She didn’t want to hear his infuriating voice.
Because of him, she was separated from Dante who she never dreamed she’d miss this much, and her trip back to Earth to see her dad had been canceled. She couldn’t help but worry about them. And she couldn’t help but dwell on how worried they must’ve been for her safety.
Dante had probably destroyed Surge and all twenty-four universes searching for her.
Armienti finished the last of his meal. “Come on.”
He reached for her, but she brushed his hand away. She reluctantly followed him through the passageway and into the night.
The terrain was barren with no trees; the sparkling ice spanned into oblivion in every direction. They walked through the frozen planet—not an easy feat in high-heeled go-go boots with frozen toes.
If only she had a pair of real shoes with some warmth, and not the always summer fashion of the Martyne court.
“Come on, pick up your feet. We have a lot of ground to cover before dawn. Valdez will be on the hunt again and we both know how relentless she is.”
“Screw you,” she hissed. “I can’t believe you did this to us.”
“I’m sorry, Autumn,” his blue face hardened in the pale moonlight. His golden hair swayed in the winter wind. “I wish I could take my decision back, twenty-twenty hindsight, but I have my reasons.”
“Really?” she groaned, forehead pulsating. “I bet your reasons are just as superficial as you are.”
Of all the seasons, winter was her least favorite, but of all the winters, the one they spent stuck together on that miserable planet with nothing but snow and ice was her most loathed.
They walked for hours upon hours. Crisp breath caught in her lungs. Even with her untamed abilities, she grew tired and restless.
She pouted, stomping her feet. “Come on, please, we have to find shelter. I need sleep.”
She was freezing through her spandex down to the depths of her bones.
As she inhaled, the sharp biting air cut against her throat. In the corner of her eye, a shadow shifted in the dead of night.
She pulled against Armienti’s shoulder, not wanting to touch him but desperate to get his attention.
“Do you see that over there?”
He stopped. “Do I see what?” He turned his head, and his blue eyes bulged.
They approached the figure with stealth and precision, careful not to be seen as they advanced. Autumn winced as her feet throbbed with each step.
Someone was standing on the ice.
“Identify yourself,” Armienti commanded. The figure didn’t answer. Something didn’t seem right. The hairs on the back of her neck stood at perfect attention. Her heart thundered in her chest. As she drew closer, she identified the torso of a headless Zexian soldier. Its thick black blood spilled over the glittering ice like tar.
She jumped and shrieked as a head rolled between her feet.
Holy crap.
A sharp pain settled in her neck. A cold steel dart pierced her skin.
Someone clapped in the distance. “Got her.”
Autumn sprinted, and Armienti followed her. Her footsteps were sluggish and uncoordinated. Her vision narrowed and blurred at the corners.
Armienti passed her, never bothering to turn around and help.
“Damn him,” she muttered as her legs gave out beneath her and her world faded to black.