Chapter Thirty-Eight
––––––––
URZRA FELT LIKE HE was living in a wonderful dream as he waited for his commander to find him.
Bria was coming out of her protective reserve more and more.
They spent most of their waking hours together and got along far better than he’d expected.
He desired his cambion more than he’d ever wanted any female before.
One small smile from her was enough to make his entire day.
Their shooting lesson progressed well after Bria finally decided to believe in herself. He felt proud of her for putting her fears behind her. While she was tiny, she had a fierce heart.
“Man, I’m craving vanilla to add to my coffee,” Bria said as they headed back to the house. He’d slung the BB gun over his shoulder. “It sucks that milk and cream are things of the past, but there has to be bottles of vanilla essence still around,” she said in a hopeful tone.
“I don’t recall seeing any in the houses I searched,” Urzra said, instantly determined to locate the item for his female. “Perhaps we could search a nearby town for some tomorrow.”
“Really?” she asked in surprised, then reached out to open the back door.
“We’ll need to scope the town out first to make sure it’s safe,” he said. “If not, then I can sneak in quietly and search for some vanilla.”
“You’d put yourself in danger for me just because I have a craving?” Bria asked skeptically.
“Female, there’s not much I wouldn’t do for you,” Urzra said gravely. Her cheeks turned pink and he knew she sensed his sincerity.
“Be glad I’m not craving ice cream,” she joked as they headed to the living room. “That stuff’s impossible to find now,” she figured.
“Will you teach me how to cook the fish I caught?” he asked.
“Sure, if you want,” she agreed. The sun was retreating from the sky and it would be dark soon. She usually ate once night fell.
Bria led the way to the kitchen and took the fish out of the fridge.
Washing the fillets again, she poured oil into a frying pan, then turned the stovetop on.
“Now I just need to fry them until they’re cooked,” she said.
“Normally, I’d have salad from my garden with them, but I’ll have canned vegetables instead. ”
Filing the information away, Urzra silently vowed to not just catch more fish for his female, but to cook them for her as well. It didn’t take long for the fish to become properly cooked. She plated them, then sat down to eat. He cleaned the dishes so she wouldn’t have to.
As usual, Bria read a book while he gamed after her dinner. They retired to their bedrooms at the same time and were up just after dawn. Urzra consulted the map to see where the closest town was while his cambion ate breakfast.
“There’s a town only about ten miles away,” he said. “We should leave soon, before the humans who might be living there wake up.”
“I’ll just wash my dishes and I’ll be good to go,” Bria said.
A few minutes later, they were in the truck and were driving down the tree-lined driveway. Urzra was behind the wheel. He could have sprinted to the town and searched it on foot, but it was nice for them to go on an excursion together.
“I wonder why the Mad Prophet hasn’t said a word since you found the ham radio,” Bria mused. Xathan’s voice was the only one they’d heard so far.
“Perhaps something happened to him,” Urzra said. “I hope the human will be okay. Fate has been using him as her tool from what I can gather.”
“Then she’s probably looking out for him,” she figured.
He stopped half a mile from the outskirts of the town and pulled over behind a cluster of trees. “We’ll go the rest of the way on foot,” he said. He’d brought a rifle he’d found with him, but hoped he wouldn’t have to use it. Bria was armed with a knife in a sheath on her right side.
They raced closer to the small town and halted when they sensed people were in some of the homes. “I doubt the stores still have any food in them,” Bria murmured.
“Then we’ll have to search the houses instead,” Urzra decided. “Someone must have some vanilla stashed in their pantry.”
“Should we split up?” she asked as he headed for the closest home.
“We’ll stay together,” the warrior said, unwilling to be parted from his female. “I sense the humans living in the house next to this one have black souls.”
She nodded in agreement and waited for him to break the lock on the back door.
He opened it for her and she entered quietly.
Urzra kept watch while Bria searched the pantry and cupboards.
She even checked the fridge even though none of the homes in this settlement had electricity.
“No luck,” she reported when she was done.
They bypassed the houses that were occupied and searched the other homes.
Humans began rousing and going about their day.
So far, they’d all had black souls. While they were coexisting at the moment, it was only a matter of time before they turned on each other.
The houses had been broken into already, through the front doors rather than the back.
All of the kitchens had been raided for food.
Bria’s hope that just one bottle of vanilla essence might have been overlooked hadn’t panned out.
“It’s no use,” she said with a scowl when they finished with the last home. “We should go before someone discovers us.”
“The humans in the house right next to us are leaving,” Urzra said as he sensed the four people filing out through the front door. “We can duck inside and check their pantry, then be gone before they even know we were there.”
Bria seemed dubious about taking such a risk. “It’s not worth it,” she decided with a heavy sigh. “Let’s just go.”
Her disappointment was intolerable to the knight. “Wait here and I’ll make sure the coast is clear,” he said, then left the house. He raced towards their truck, pausing at one of the now empty homes briefly before heading back. “It’s clear,” he said as Bria emerged from the house.
They sprinted to the truck just in time to see two men driving past in a sedan. The passenger saw them and shouted at the driver to stop.
“We’ve been busted,” Bria said grimly.
“I’ll handle it,” Urzra said, then called on his sword.
None of the other townsfolk were aware there was a problem yet.
He skewered the passenger as he climbed out, then rapidly rounded to the other side of the car to take down the driver.
Bria hurried over to open the back door.
They stuffed the bodies into the back, then she slid behind the wheel.
Urzra strode over to their truck and moved it out of the way so she could park the car in its place.
She left the keys in it and hurried to climb into their vehicle.
“I think we got away without being seen,” Urzra said, looking into the rearview mirror as he drove away.
“That was hectic,” Bria said, turning to stare out through the back window.
Urzra kept his senses alert, but they weren’t pursued as he drove back to their base. They climbed out and his female preceded him into the house. “I have something for you, female,” the knight said, taking a small item out of his pocket.
She turned around and her face lit up when she saw the bottle he was holding. “You found some vanilla essence!” she exclaimed in delight. Snatching the bottle out of his hand, she lurched forward to wrap her arms around him. “Thanks, Urzra,” she said.
He hugged her back, knowing she could feel his happiness and desire. “You’re welcome, my cambion,” he murmured, amazed at how small she was. Her head didn’t even reach to his collarbones.
Bria pulled away, smiling in joy as she hurried to the kitchen to boil water to make some vanilla flavored coffee.