by Tammy Walsh
But now, I needed my strength training to pay off.
I released the rope that lashed his legs to the arjath and slid my right leg underneath him. I placed my foot on the side of the cart to brace his weight. Then I followed with my right leg.
The first part was easy. The harder part was leveraging his ass—and what an ass—up so I could roll my thigh underneath him.
His legs were less heavy than his torso, so their weight might help me move his body onto the cart. The worst thing that could happen was for him to slip off the arjath and onto the ground. It would drive the splinter deeper into his soft flesh.
“Okay,” I said out loud. “On the count of three. One, two…”
I released the rope lashing his hips to the arjath a little and worked my right leg underneath him. I let out a breath.
So far, so good. But it wasn’t enough yet. If I released him anymore, he would slide off the saddle and onto the ground.
It would be so much easier if he was still awake!
I released the rope a little more, around his chest this time, and slipped my knee under him. I could feel how sweaty his back was but I took no notice. I slid my left leg up under him to join the right.
Then, I braced my feet on the side of the cart and held his weight firmly on my thighs. I grunted.
Boy! You need to lose a little weight!
But he wasn’t overweight. It was pure muscle.
If I wanted him to stay looking as good as he did, he was going to have to keep hitting the gym.
And I did want him to stay looking like this.
I released the ropes a little more. His body began to slide down my legs.
“Yes!” I said jubilantly.
The arjath raised his head to peer at me over his shoulder. He munched on his juicy grass with relish.
My stomach growled.
Not now!
Then, tragedy.
The arjath stamped his foot and his short stubby tail swiped at the flies that buzzed around his ass. The movement disturbed Chax, making his torso slide forward slightly—in the wrong direction.
“No…” I said.
I scooted my leg under him a little more to make up for the movement. I couldn’t move too far or I’d end up doing the splits.
“Go on,” I said through clenched teeth. “Slide. Slide, you bastard, slide!”
I shook my legs to try and dislodge him and help him downward.
But he didn’t budge.
Sweat sprouted on my forehead and I could barely keep myself calm. My muscles were struggling to hold his weight. If I didn’t get him to slide down soon, my muscles would fail and he would smack into the ground.
I shook my legs again in another attempt to get him to move.
It was in vain.
The arjath stamped his foot again. Chax slid a little further forward.
I tried to stop him from falling but my legs were already weak. If I moved another inch, I would lose my current position and he would fall.
Then there would be no getting him in the cart.
I regretted trying to do this. What did I think I was doing?
I couldn’t do anything like this. I was an engineer. I knew how to do it but that didn’t mean I could do it on my own.
I started to cry, knowing he was going to fall any second.
I’d failed him. I’d failed us both.
I’d have to take care of him beside this road. He would never fully recover.
Something snapped in the dense wood that ran along the roadside. A branch or a twig.
Oh, God. Please don’t be Iron Hoof. Please don’t be him. Anyone but him.
Please.
Another twig snapped and fallen leaves were brushed aside as the perpetrator stepped from the wood.
Not just one person. Two.
My body was pumped with so much adrenaline I had to focus on what I was looking at.
A pair of figures, dressed in the same style of clothing as me and Chax. The creatures were not human. They were not Titan either. Or Changelings. They were a pair of the little green creatures I saw earlier.
“Who are you?” I said.
“We’re contestants in a game show,” the female said. “Like you. We’re brother and sister. Trang and Klang.”
Then she said the most beautiful words in the English language—or whatever language she spoke.
“Is he going to be okay?” she said.
She motioned to Chax, still unconscious, and braced across my knees. By all rights, he should be dead.
“Yes,” I said. “He’ll be fine.”
I didn’t know that but I hoped he would be. I couldn’t get through this whole ordeal or reach the shuttlecraft if he didn’t recover. The truth was, I didn’t want to escape this place if I couldn’t escape with him.
“Do you need a hand?” she said.
“Yes,” I said. “I need to get him in the cart. But I’m having a bit of trouble. Move slowly. The arjath is a little skittish.”
The pair moved around to the front of the cart and raised their hands so the arjath could see them approach. He might not look like he was wary with the way he was munching his grass, but he was. He could bolt at a moment’s notice.
“Where do you want us?” Trang said.
“You hold the arjath’s harness,” I said through gritted teeth. “I don’t want him to bolt while we’re doing this. I want your brother to stand under Chax’s torso. I need you to help brace his weight.”
Klang did as I asked. He raised his arms above his head. Despite their small size, they were surprisingly strong. The little guy’s whole body shook as I shifted Chax’s weight forward. Even with the little help he gave me, it was just enough for me to reposition my legs and shuffle Chax forward onto my shins and then my feet.
“Now climb into the cart and make sure that when he gets to the bed that the shard of wood in his back doesn’t touch the floor,” I said.
He did as I asked.
As Chax lowered the final foot—there was little I could do about that except hold onto the rope with both hands and brace his torso as it lowered down.
Klang helped Chax roll down onto his side and partially onto his front.
“Thank you,” I said.
Unable to hold his weight any longer, I dropped the rope and fell to the ground between the cart and the arjath. I was exhausted. I used everything I had to get him in that cart. My hands were redraw and bleeding where the rope had torn into them.
But it was worth it.
Chax was safer now. Until we found somewhere for him to recover, at least.
Trang helped me to my feet and into the back of the cart.
“I need to hitch the cart to the arjath,” I said.
“You’ve done enough,” Klang said. “We’ll take it from here.”
“We need to find somewhere safe,” I said.
“We know somewhere,” Trang said, already leading the arjath to the front of the cart.
“You have to be on the lookout,” I said wearily as I got comfortable beside Chax. “There’s a tracker after us.”
“The big one with horns?” Klang said. “We more than saw him. He almost killed us.”
I nodded to the device at their waists.
“You’re trying to get to the shuttlecraft too?” I said.
“Yes,” Trang said. “It’s not that far but the closer we get, the more dangerous it is.”
I hoped we wouldn’t run into Iron Hoof again. If we did, we were as good as dead.
“My name’s Maddy, by the way,” I said.
I would have extended my hand to them but they were so sore I couldn’t bear the pain.
“Klang,” Klang said. “I’m the brother.”
“Trang,” Trang said. “I’m the sister.”
It was bad enough for me to be there with Chax. How bad would it be if I had to fight to survive with a friend or family member?
“Just sit back and relax,” Trang said. “We’ll get the arjath hitched
up and get you somewhere safe in no time.”
“Thank you,” I said. “Thank you so much. If you hadn’t stumbled across me when you did…”
“We have to stick together now,” Klang said, hopping into the driving seat beside his sister. “It might be the only way we’ll get through this.”
I lay on my side, facing Chax.
“Did you hear that?” I said to his unconscious form. “They’re going to help us. Finally, some luck.”
The tears stung my eyes and came unbidden as I reached up and brush the hair back from his face.
I came this close to losing him, this close to losing the Titan I knew deep in my soul I had already lost my heart to.
I don’t know when it happened. I couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment, but there was no doubt in my mind.
I was in love and want to spend the rest of my life with him.
And I hoped that would last a lot longer than the twelve hours we had remaining.
Chax
I saw the blow coming and there was nothing I could do to stop it. My balance was off from shoving Maddy to safety.
I heard the crunch and knew it was going to be bad. That was after I felt something strike my shoulder and drive itself in so deep I thought it’d punctured a lung.
I slid across the ground, the stones and dirt tearing up my face and throat. But that was nothing. I could recover from that quickly enough.
Even the crushed ribs and the thick shard in my back didn’t worry me much.
It was the fact I knew I would be out of commission, unable to protect her.
Protect Maddy.
I passed unconscious, and the moment I did, I heard the most terrifying sound in the world:
Maddy letting out a blood-curdling scream.
And there was nothing I could do about it.
In my dreams, I heard the outside world. I heard rushing footsteps that kissed the dirt. I heard an unfamiliar voice of a young boy and his father. My stomach rose into my chest and I felt sick as I was manhandled and strapped to something soft. The rope cut into my arms and chest and legs.
The sound I heard above all others, the sound I focused on even in my unconscious state, was her.
Maddy.
My senses were full of her. When the wind blew at just the right angle, I could smell the sweet scent of her femininity.
And her rank fear.
Heavy footsteps thudded after us as Iron Hoof gave chase. We moved faster than him. I could only imagine an arjath or similar creature was capable of such a feat.
And then, a long endless trail.
My body was fixing itself, healing. But each footstep drove that shard in my back a little deeper… and deeper still.
Then I passed completely unconscious, adrift in the darkness of my inner space, every bit as lonely and cold as the depths of intergalactic space.
I wondered when I would wake up—if I would wake up. I feared I would never again open my eyes and set them upon the most beautiful creature in the galaxy.
Maddy.
My Maddy.
The pain was intense.
Titans were known for their ability to heal fast and their courage in the face of death. But that didn’t mean we relished the agony of inflicted wounds.
I shot up into a sitting position. My back was on fire. The pain was unreal. I hissed through my teeth and reached over to feel at the chasm I knew had to be present in my back.
Maddy slapped my hand away.
“No touching!” she said.
“But it hurts!” I said.
“That means you’re still alive. Be thankful. And it’s nice to see you back in the land of the living.”
I groaned.
“I wish I could say it was good to be back,” I said. “Do you need to dig so deep?”
“Do you want me to get all the splinters out or don’t you?” Maddy snapped back.
I raised my hands in surrender. She dug even deeper after that.
“How did you manage to escape Iron Hoof?” I said in an attempt to focus on something else.
“I rode an arjath out of there.”
I nodded. Just as I thought.
“I’m sorry I got put out of commission and couldn’t defend you,” I said. “I know what Iron Hoof’s species is like. I should have expected it. They tend to go through things rather than around them.”
“Reminds me of someone I know,” Maddy said, nudging me on the shoulder.
“I’m not that bad,” I said.
“No. You’re horny in other ways.”
I grinned at her and reached up to cup her face in my hands. I kissed her on the lips. She tasted so good. The pain was worth it so long as I could be with her.
“I was afraid I would never see you again,” I said. “Or kiss you.”
“And you just got to do both,” she said. “I guess today must be your lucky day.”
I moved my arm and massaged my shoulder.
“It sure doesn’t feel very lucky,” I said.
“Hold still,” Maddy said. “I need to get the last of the splinters out or it’ll get infected.”
“Infections don’t affect Titans much.”
“But it can’t help.”
“I suppose not.”
A drop of rain patted me on the top of the head. When I looked up, another thick blob ran down my face. I peered at our surroundings. We were in the attic of a barn. The roof was full of holes. Rain formed puddles on the floor and warped the boards. The air smelled of dust and I could already feel it clogging up my nose.
“You couldn’t find a better place to hole up?” I said.
“Quit complaining,” Maddy said. “We’re lucky to get this.”
She picked a little more at the wound before she said, “Done. But this might sting a little.”
“What will?”
She splashed something over the wound.
The sudden flash of pain took me by surprise. I bit down on my scream and clenched my teeth together so hard they might have cracked. The tang of alcohol stung my nostrils and made me want to vomit.
“Give me some of that,” I said.
She handed me the bottle. There was no label to identify it. Probably homemade. I swigged a mouthful and coughed. It hurt almost as much in my mouth as it had on my back. I handed it back to Maddy.
“Good?” she said.
I shook my head.
“Horrible,” I said. “These Yayora don’t know the first thing about how to brew a good beer. Now, Titan ale, that’s what you call good beer.”
“Ale? I’m not sure anyone but old men drink that back on my homeworld.”
“Then the rest of you are missing out. You should listen to your old men more. They know what they’re talking about.”
Maddy chuckled.
“What’s so funny?” I said.
“You remind me of someone back home.”
“He must be young, tall, and good looking if he’s anything like me.”
“Short, fat, and old.”
“Should I take offense?”
“Only if you’re thin-skinned.”
“You can see my skin better back there than I can. How thin does it look to you?”
“The part that got hurt? Very.”
I smiled at her.
“Tell me about this guy I remind you of,” I said.
“He was my uncle. He used to drink a lot of ale and always thought young people didn’t listen to their elders enough. It was funny because he never struck me as the kind of person who took much notice of anyone else’s opinion either.”
“Now I see why I remind you of him.”
Maddy slapped me on the shoulder, making me hiss, before bending down to stitch the wound together. I brought her hand around to my lips and kissed the delicate skin of the back of her hand gently and placed my cheek against it.
“Titans are famous for being fierce warriors,” I said. “We’re famous because our ancestors used to run into battle as if they weren’t afraid o
f anything. Maybe they weren’t. I guess Titans have changed a lot over the years. I know I could never run into battle knowing I might never see you again. I’m not afraid of death. I can say that in all honesty. But I was scared today.”
“Because you almost died?”
“Because I was afraid I might never see you again.”
Maddy stopped stitching a moment and looked at me.
I couldn’t see her face with her behind me. I tried to gauge her expression. What would it be? Shock? Surprise? Horror?
I couldn’t stand not knowing, so I turned around to look.
Her eyes shimmered and made her chestnut brown eyes gleam even brighter and with greater vibrancy than I’d ever seen them before.
“What’s wrong?” I said. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
She wiped her tears away with the palms of her hands.
“I’m not crying because I’m upset,” she said. “I’m crying because today I felt the same way. You came this close to dying and I never got to tell you how much I love you.”
“My love,” I said. “I could be blind and know how much you love me. It’s written on your face. It’s in your gestures every time you look at me. The same way it’s written on mine when I look at you.”
I reached out and touched her. I had to. She was the air in my lungs and the food in my belly. I needed to touch her, to be a part of her.
To be one with her.
I cupped her face in my hand and pressed my lips against hers. She kissed me back with heat and passion that neither of us could deny.
And we didn’t want to deny it. We needed to be together. Right here. Right now.
The kiss turned passionate as she responded to me. Then she pulled back.
“We can’t,” she said.
“Oh, but we can,” I said, pressing myself against her again.
I knew she wanted to. It was in her kiss, in the way she looked at me, the way she touched me.
“You’re still hurt,” she said.
“Making love will make it better,” I said.
She rolled her eyes.
“That’s what all men think,” she said. “I won’t do it if it’ll give you pain.”
“Listen to me,” I said, “we Titans are not like you humans. We heal faster than you. We’re stronger than you.”