He doesn’t respond. My heart lurches into my throat. “Draven!”
“Mortarekker, I must be getting old. I couldn’t move fast enough.”
I melt over him like a pile of hot wax. “You scared me. Are you hurt?”
“My pride is a bit bruised, but I am well.” Holding the tether for balance, he gets to his feet with a groan. “We must keep going, or we’ll be here when it gets dark.”
“Oh no, uh-uh, no, sir. We’re not going anywhere if you’re hurt. We can find somewhere to stay for the night and let you rest.”
Draven gestures around us at our dusty surroundings. “Where would you suggest? The vacuu-pod would blow away in seconds. We must keep going.”
He starts to leave again, and I plant my feet until he looks back at me in frustration. “We will keep going until we find a suitable place for shelter, and then we’ll stop for the night.” When he glares at me, I add, “Either we find a place for shelter or I’ll sit my happy ass down right here and won’t move another inch.”
Instead of getting mad, like I expect, Draven smiles at me, which makes me a little uneasy until he says, “My mate is a fighter. I like this. Fine. We’ll keep going until we find a suitable place for the vacuu-pod.”
I didn’t really expect him to agree with me, so he’s already gone several feet ahead by the time I catch up with him. The winds seem to increase in intensity the longer the day grows until we’re nearly leaning forward to touch the ground in the effort to keep upright. Each step only brings us precious inches forward, and I’m already regretting my stubbornness. Finding shelter in this desolate place when we can barely see will be next to impossible.
Eventually Draven directs me to inspect the right side of the crevasse while he canvases the left. Unable to see through the thick sheets of dust, I have to rely on touch through the padded gloves. Even holding my hand out to palpate the rock walls on my side proves difficult with the gusting wind, but I force myself to do it.
For Draven.
I’m humming another song to myself some time later when my hand suddenly disappears into nothingness, and I fall to the side, pushed by momentum and the relentless gusts. A scream tears from my throat as I tumble into darkness and crash to the ground with a breath-stealing flump.
The comms fill with Draven’s shouted, “Molllyyyyy!”
My bones and joints aching from the impact, I lie there for a moment until I get my bearings. When I can speak, I say, “I’m okay, but I think I’ve found our cave.”
“Stay there,” Draven instructs. “I’m coming.”
As I wait for him to backtrack and reach the opening of the cave, I look around to see where exactly there is. It’s less of a cave and more of a passageway, really. A crevasse inside the crevasse. The floor is covered in inches of the red-orange dust and the walls are a solid granite-looking rock of ebony, glossy and glittering with shards of lighter rock. A blue light beckons from the far end of the passage, a beacon in all the crimson.
Draven joins me a short while later. “Are you all right?” Before I can answer, he’s crossing the small space to my side where he carefully inspects my suit. I wait patiently until he’s done, understanding his need for reassurance. “You’ve done well.”
“I don’t think this first room is big enough for the vacuu-pod, but if we follow the passage, we may find a bigger opening, and we’ll get farther away from all the dust.”
“Follow me,” he says, heading toward the blue light.
We make our way to the back of the passage, leaving the howling red glow from the crevasse behind. “What is this blue light?” I ask. “Have you ever seen anything like it before?”
“I don’t know, but we’ll be careful in case there is anything dangerous. I will protect you.” He retrieves his zonnoblaster from his pack and holds it at the ready.
I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of hearing him say he’ll take care of me. I can protect myself, but it’s comforting to know I don’t have to do everything alone. With Draven as my mate, I won’t ever have to be alone again.
The deeper we go into the mountain, the brighter the blue light glows. Dual threads of apprehension and excitement weave themselves inside me. It could be some sort of ship. Maybe we could use it to find Willow. I dismiss the thought before it can completely form. Willow is gone. There will be no saving her.
“Don’t worry, my mate. These caves feel abandoned.”
“I’m not worried,” I answer.
“You were singing your La-La song over the comms,” Draven responds.
“I was not,” I snap.