The more she thought, the more questions appeared in her mind. It didn’t matter if she ever got the answers to her questions, though. What mattered was that the Samou were planning an attack on her camp. Even with the tanks, there was a good chance that they wouldn’t be able to defend themselves. They had no way of knowing the attack was coming, and what that attack would entail.
She had to warn them. She didn’t agree with whatever they were doing; she didn’t know if she even believed they were actually doing what the Samou said they were. She didn’t know anything at that point except for the fact that she had friends, people she had known for most of her life back at that camp. And she needed to warm them—now.
Chapter 5: A Quick Escape
There was no question in Allison’s mind—she was going to escape. She knew when she would do it, as well. As she sat in her room the following day, waiting for Queane to come retrieve her, she plotted out her plan. She was slightly hungry, and she worried that that would slow her down a little.
The day before she didn’t attend the tribe dinner, being that she didn’t do her part to collect food. She was woken up in the middle of the night, however, to someone sliding a helping of fruit into her room. She didn’t have the chance to see who it was, but she didn’t care. Her assumption that her nerves and the frustration of still not knowing what was going on completely would ward off any desire to eat only proved to be correct until about 3:00pm. That’s when her stomach started to groan and her hunger suddenly became more predominant in her mind than anything else.
Her stubborn nature prevented her from confessing that to anyone, though. So, when the fruit rolled across her floor, stopping just a few feet from her mat, she was pleasantly surprised. She ate it all, greedily, barely breathing between bites, and fell asleep with a full stomach and a renewed determination to continue with her plan.
“Ready?” Queane asked appearing at the door of her room.
“Yes,” she said, pushing herself up. “Let’s go.”
They walked in silence while they were in the caves, not even looking at each other as they went. When they reached the opening, leading to the outside, Allison felt a rush of anticipation washing over her.
“When are they going to attack?” Allison asked quietly once they had passed the camp and were safely in the forest leading out to the orchard.
“What?”
“Your group. They’re going to attack my people, aren’t they?”
“Who told you that?” Queane asked, not stopping, but slowing her pace significantly.
“I figured it out,” Allison lied.
“Is that why you didn’t come to work yesterday?”
“Yes,” she said.
“It’s horrible, isn’t it?”
“What?”
“Knowing that something bad will happen to the ones you care about, and not being able to do anything about it.”
She knew it was meant to be some sort of low-blow, an accusation wrapped in a thinly veiled layer of mutual understanding.
“You’re doing something about it,” she pointed out. “You’re going to attack us.”
“We have no choice,” Queane hissed over her shoulder.
“You do. You can let me go. You can let me go talk to my people.”
“You’re naïve if you think that will change their minds.”
“Why do all of you seem to think that my people are so cold-hearted and stubborn? We came here to survive, not to kill.”
Queane did stop now, but she didn’t turn to face her. “It’s sad how little you really know.”
“Because no one will tell me!” Allison shouted in frustration.
“That’s not our responsibility. If your people did not want you to know, that’s their fault, not ours.”
“When are you going to attack?” Allison asked again, not in the mood to engage Queane in one of her cryptic conversations.
Queane resumed walking, not looking back to make sure that Allison was following. “I don’t know.”
“How do you not know?”
“I’m not a warrior,” Queane explained. “I’m not going with them. I’ll stay here with the tribe, and we will continue to live our lives as best as we can until it’s done.”
“You must at least know something.”
“If I did, I would not tell you.”
They walked the rest of the way in silence. When they reached the orchard, Allison went through her usual routine—retrieve a basket, find a tree, clumsily carry the make-shift ladder over and climb up to begin working. She carefully selected the tree she would work on that day, making sure it was near to the surrounding forest, so her escape would be easier.
It was a warm morning, and as she worked, she could feel the bright sun beating down on her. She looked out over the scene in front of her. She wanted to take it all in.
It was funny to her that she had been a prisoner with them for over a week, but she felt at peace there. It was because of the trees, and the nature that surrounded them constantly. It reminded her of her childhood, of running through the only park they had in the city before it was torn down and developed into yet another factory.
The Samou still frightened her. Aside from Queane and occasionally Hakona, the rest either ignored her completely or treated her as if she were some hostile enemy. But, from up in the tree, leaning out over the branches to retrieve the fruit, she could watch them as they interacted with each other. And from there, they didn't scare her.
She continued working, pausing occasionally to look around her again. At one point, her eyes fell on Hakona. He was standing at the edge of the orchard, looking over everything from a distance. He was with the woman who always seemed to be at his side. They talked quietly, their heads down and their backs to her. The woman had her arm wrapped around Hakona’s waist. The image sent a rush of emotions running through her. She wasn’t sure if she was jealous or just angry. Her last interaction with Hakona had left her feeling unsettled.
Still, perched up in the tree, looking down at them as they spoke, she didn’t feel completely angry with him. She remembered the way his hands grabbed onto hers and the warmth that spread through her at his touch. She remembered the way he looked at her, almost as if he was letting her in, like he was opening himself to her. But then, it was all gone in a flash. The instant he pulled back from her, she was filled with a cold emptiness. His expression changed back to the stern, almost hate-filled look he so often gave her, and it was all gone. It was almost as if it was nothing more than a dream.
She continued to watch him as he turned around, casting his glance over the fields in front of him. When his eyes fell on hers, they held each other’s gaze. There was a tension that spread between them. It filled the air and bounced back and forth between their stares. Even from across the orchard, she felt as if the warmth that being near him so often instilled in her once again wrapped itself around her.
Turning away quickly, she focused once again on her work. The sun would be setting shortly. Her plan needed to happen, and soon. She dropped down a few more pieces of fruit before scanning her surroundings. No one was nearby except a few others working up in the trees to her right and left.
Swinging her legs down over the branch she stretched until her foot caught the top rung of the ladder. She wasn’t wearing any shoes, she realized suddenly. The Samou didn’t wear shoes, and when they took her clothes and provided her with the typical animal-skin shorts and barely-there top the women wore, they didn’t think to give her anything to cover her feet. If she had to run, she was sure she would end up with cuts and scrapes all over her body.
She began to collect the fruit that had missed the basket and was scattered about the ground around her. She made sure to leave the one she purposely dropped closest to the edge of the woods surrounding the orchard for last.
When all but that one piece was in its place, she looked over her shoulder. No one seemed to be paying her any mind. She walked over to where it lay in the grass
, the bright red color making its location easy to spot.
She bent forward, pretending to pick it up, and slowly leaned her weight onto the balls of her feet. With one last look over her right shoulder, she took off. She thought she heard someone yell out behind her, but she didn’t stop or slow down to listen.
She ran as fast as she could, diving deeper into the thick forest. The branches of bushes and different plants around her scratched at her arms, and the twigs littering the ground cut into the soles of her feet. She didn't feel them, though. Her body was pumping pure adrenaline. The only thing she saw was whatever was directly in front of her; the only thing she heard was the pounding of her heart in her ears, and the only thing she felt was fear and worry pushing at her back, propelling her forward.
She ran as quickly and as far as she could before she started to feel the exhaustion set in. She hadn’t eaten all day—no breakfast either, as a result of her refusal to work the day before.
Lowering herself down onto a tree log that was sprawled across the damp, marshy forest ground, she listened. At first, she didn't hear anything, her ears were ringing too loudly to make out any sounds.
Then, she heard a twig snap behind her. Turning around slowly, what she saw was not what she had expected.
Chapter 6: Gone Too Far
The animal, crouched behind a large bush, appeared to be what one would get if they mixed a pit-pull and a bear. Its face was huge and drawn out, with small ears and a large mouth. Its body, partially covered by the leaves of the plant it was hovering behind, was bent forward, hunched over itself. Its breathing was heavy, and its sharp, pointy teeth were enough to instill fear in anyone who saw it. It had no hair. Its skin looked like leather, pulled tight around its face, making its large eyes appear even more menacing. Its eyes were the first things Allison saw.
She felt her pulse begin to race as she scooted herself back. She tried to keep her movements slow and subdued, so as not to startle the animal into an attack. With every step she took back, it took one forward. They seemed to be locked in some sort of dance, a terrifying sort of waltz. When she took one step right, it stepped left; when she stepped back, it stepped forward. When it emerged completely from behind the bush that was covering it, she realized that it was much larger than she had initially assumed. It lifted itself up onto its hind legs, becoming easily twice as tall as she was.
It let out a loud, wailing scream. The sound filled the air and descended on her, causing her to let out a soft whimper in response. Fear, mixed with the combating instincts of fight or flight, consumed her. She couldn’t decide what to do or how to respond. Her feet wanted to run, but her mind told her that would be the worst decision she could make.
She was frozen with panic, her mind racing as she considered her options. The animal took another step forward, letting out another loud cry as it did. She heard something move behind her.
Looking over her shoulder quickly, she let out a terrified scream. There was another one. They had her trapped. She couldn’t run forward or back, and if she tried to dart in either direction, they would surely take her down with one swift leap.
The one behind her moved towards her, slowly at first. It was still on all fours. As it grew closer, it began to circle her. She tried to move in the direction opposite when her foot caught on a stone embedded in the murky ground and she fell backward.
She landed hard but felt no pain as she went crashing to the ground. Her adrenaline was racing again, pushing out any sensation that didn't directly relate to the animal, now stalking around her slowly.
She looked at her hands and saw that blood had begun to pour out of cuts on her palms. She must have scratched them when she reached out to catch herself on her fall. Looking up, she saw that both of the animals had gotten very close to her.
She tried to push herself up, but her shaking legs refused to support her weight and she collapsed again onto the wet ground. One of her two attackers decided to take advantage of her flustered state and lunge forward at her.
She pushed herself back just as the enormous jaw came snapping shut mere inches away from her right leg. The animal lunged again, this time sinking its teeth into her ankle. A surging pain rushed through her and she let out a loud shriek.
The animal released its grasp on her, but the second had lurked up onto its hind legs and was about to hurl itself forward in attack when out of nowhere it went flying out of her line of sight.
The desire to look to the side, in the direction she saw the animal disappear was quickly replaced by the realization that the second was still very close to her, and was now preparing an attack of its own. She tried to push herself back again, but her ankle throbbed with pain, and her muscles refused to work as she desperately kicked at the ground in front of her.
A loud, high-pitched, blood-chilling cry came out from above them. The animal looked up, just in time to see the threat that was quickly hurtling towards them both. A dragon, with deep green and blue scales and a look of hatred in its dark, yellow-black eyes was swooping down from the sky, descending quickly with claws extended and fire beginning to pour from its mouth.
It singed the animal with flame, causing it to fall back and let out a horrifyingly loud cry. The dragon then dove in and wrapped its long talons around its target, pulling it up into the sky with it before letting it fall back to the ground.
The second bear-pit-bull like animal was once again on its feet and in Allison’s line of sight. As the dragon swept down once again to attack, the animal reached out with its massive paw and batted at the scale-covered skin, slicing into it and leaving behind four long, red trails where it had made contact.
The dragon did not seem detoured as it picked up the second beast and carried it off, then released it, letting it fall back to the ground with a loud thud. The two animals, clearly beaten, joined together once again before taking off into the forest.
Allison’s heart was still racing, but the pain in her ankle started to build force as she watched them leave. She pulled her leg up to her chest to begin inspecting her wound. She needed to continue running. Whoever had come after her had saved her, but they were still her enemy. She still had the mission of getting to her camp to warn them heavy on her mind and heart.
The dragon lowered itself to the ground, slowly, about 10 feet away from her. She felt her chest tighten as she tried to push herself back. The air around the space became filled with a cloud of smoke, and by the time she had pushed herself to her feet it receded.
Standing there, in the clearing within a few feet from her, was Hakona. He had been injured in the battle, and the four slash marks running across his chest were beginning to bleed as he stepped quickly in her direction.
“What the hell were you thinking?” he roared at her.
She didn’t answer. She just turned to take off running, but her ankle throbbed again, and her muscles, tired from being tense with fear, moved lazily. She was only able to take two steps before Hakona caught up with her.
He stepped in front of her quickly, cutting off her escape. “You won’t get far,” he said firmly.
“I have to warn them,” she gasped. Her head was beginning to spin, slightly. She was exhausted already, and she had no idea how far it was to reach her camp. She didn’t even know if she was going in the right direction. Her ankle hurt, badly, and she was weak with hunger.
The sun had set, and darkness was beginning to cover the world around them. She knew it was foolish to try to continue on her journey. Even if Hakona wasn’t there to stop her, he was right—she wouldn’t be able to get very far. It was clear that she had no idea what other dangers were waiting for her out in the forest.
She was beginning to feel dizzy. Letting herself collapse onto the ground, she held in the tears that she knew would come if she let them. “I’m an idiot,” she said softly, more to herself than to him.
He sat down next to her, crossing his legs in front of himself as he did. “Yes,” he agreed, “you are.”
&nb
sp; She let out a pathetic laugh. “You’re really encouraging, you know that?”
“I’m not going to encourage you to do something foolish like you just did”
“I just had to do something, you know? I had to at least try.”
“Try to get yourself killed?”
“I didn’t plan on that happening,” she replied.
“You’re lucky I got here when I did,” he said as he examined her. His expression softened slightly as he did. He didn’t seem angry with her, only concerned.
“Thank you,” she said quietly.
He looked down at her ankle. Blood was beginning to form a small puddle around her foot. “You need to get that fixed,” he said.
“You’re hurt, too,” she said motioning to his chest. She reached out to touch his wound. “Does it hurt?” she asked.
He pulled back from her, only slightly. He eyed her as she gently ran her fingers over the skin surrounding the gashes. The animal had slashed through his right side, where the scales and skin came together. She had often wondered what it felt like. The scales were hard, but soft at the same time. They had the same warmth coming out of them that the rest of his body did, but it was different. It was like touching fire, she realized. It burned, but in a good way. It sent a wave of heat running up her arm. It was a numbing sort of burn that relaxed and excited her at the same time.
She started to pull her hand back. He reached up quickly and held it in place, pressing it into his chest. He looked at her carefully, his eyes searching hers. She felt like he was trying to read her, like he was looking for an answer to a question he didn’t know how to voice. He was waiting for her to say something, but she didn’t know what.
“It doesn’t hurt,” he said softly.
“Good,” she replied.
She could feel his heartbeat. It quickened as he leaned in towards her, still holding her hand tightly. Almost as if through nothing more than pure instinct, she leaned in with him.
Hakona: Dragon Warrior (Scifi Alien Dragon Romance) Page 5