Neverwylde (The Rim of the World Book 1)

by Mooney, Linda

“Enlighten me.”

  Her hand returned to his face, to his cheek where her fingertips caressed the corner of his mouth. Her eyes softened. “Because, for some reason I can’t begin to explain, you’ve become the most important thing in my life. Kyber, why is that? What is it about you that calls to me?”

  He took her hand in his. “I have been sitting here, asking myself the same question. Just being with you makes my conduct questionable. But what we did… I could lose my commission. And my life.”

  She met him eye to eye, searching. Trying to read his mind. “Kyber, are you sorry we made love?”

  He groaned. “No. But we can’t allow ourselves another moment of weakness like that.”

  “Do you honestly believe that’s what it was? A moment of weakness?” She frowned. “Kyber, in the short time I’ve come to know you, I’ve never met anyone with your strength of character, Terran or otherwise. You’ve never hesitated to do what you feel you must do, even if it goes against your training. I’ll even wager when you protected me against those eye worms, you broke a few of your own laws. Trust me, I know what weakness is. I’ve had to deal too many times with crew members who refused to break rank to do the right thing. But you, what you did to me, what we shared, that was not weakness. It was compassion. It was caring in its purest form. Regardless of the fact that we’re two different species, deep inside we’re still two people who’ve been through hell, and we’re still caught in the middle of it. You offered solace, and I accepted it. Plain and simple. And, Kyber? I would accept it again. This shit isn’t over. There’s no telling what all we’ll encounter. We could die today for all we know.”

  He turned his head to look at the faintly glowing green door symbol to his left. Kelen looked to see what held his attention.

  “We can’t stay here,” he told her.

  “I know. But I wish we could. I could be happy, staying here with you.”

  When he glanced back at her, she gave him a tremulous smile. Suddenly, it was as if the past few hours of self-incrimination no longer mattered. Drawing her into his arms, he kissed her in that way that made her moan contentedly.

  “I, too, would have no reservations staying here with you,” he admitted, breathing in the warm scent of her hair. “But we need to find out if any of the others survived. We must leave here and see what lies beyond that door.”

  She kissed his cheek before pulling away. “Breakfast first before we do?”

  Kyber nodded. “And fill our pockets with whatever food and water we can carry with us.”

  She lifted a fine eyebrow rose at him. “I wasn’t talking about food, big boy.”

  He started to ask her what she meant, when she ran her blunt nails down the inside of his thigh, stopping to cup his genitals between his legs. Giving him a squeeze, she grinned playfully.

  “Think you got the stamina for another round?”

  He grabbed her and rolled her onto her back to prove he did, and Kelen laughed with delight.

  Chapter 20

  Falls

  Kyber watched in silence as she tried to pin her hair back up in a regulation bun behind her neck, but she’d lost too many clips to secure it properly. Growling irritably, she finally opted into tying it into a ponytail using another strip of cloth torn from her blouse.

  “All right. Let’s go.”

  Before he opened the second door, Kyber pulled her into his arms and kissed her. He was becoming very adept, although Kelen wouldn’t mind spending several more hours practicing.

  “Was that for good luck?” she whispered as he nuzzled her temple.

  “In a way,” he admitted.

  He released her and slapped the glowing green mark. The panel dropped into the floor.

  “That explains how we fell into this room in the first place,” she remarked. “But how did it close? I didn’t do it.”

  “Neither did—”

  The door sprang upward, sealing them inside. Kelen chuckled. “Guess that answers the question. You open that door and haul ass before it bites you in the butt.”

  The Seneecian hit the symbol again to open the portal. They both hurried through the opening before the panel could close.

  “Lights,” she announced, spotting the little circles on the inner wall. As the soft glow lit up the surrounding rock, they discovered they were in some sort of corridor much like the one they’d used leading from the gardens.

  “Stay behind me,” Kyber gruffly ordered, keeping his hands in front of him.

  Kelen watched in fascination as his talons appeared to elongate, growing at least two more inches beyond his fingertips. She glanced up at his face, when she noticed the short hairs on the back of his neck and down his spine rise in a definite ruff. He was prepared and in full warring mode.

  They advanced at a steady pace. She kept watch behind them as the narrow corridor curved to the left for several meters, then to the right, but all the time gradually descended downward. Something which she remarked about.

  “Don’t these people believe in going up?”

  “We’d be heading up if we were going in the opposite direction,” he stoically answered.

  She gave him a raspberry, making him chuckle.

  They had no idea how long they traversed the tunnel. It was barely a meter in width. She had no problem with the constriction, but Kyber’s arms often brushed against the carved walls. At one point, he grunted in pain as his shoulder slammed into the rock, sending a shockwave down his spine.

  “We have to remember the original inhabitants were a third our size,” she told him. “We’re lucky the ceiling is high enough to enable us to walk upright.”

  Kyber glanced at the rock over their heads. If he stood on tiptoe, he could press his face against it. Giving her a look she couldn’t decipher, he continued on.

  The light source only remained bright for a few dozen meters before it dimmed. When it did, Kelen looked for another symbol to hit to keep the way illuminated. At one point they stopped to rest. She drank some water from his flask, but waved away the pancake.

  “I’m not hungry.”

  “You need to keep up your strength,” he gently admonished.

  Kelen nodded, taking the pancake. But instead of eating it, she stuffed it inside her pants pocket. Kyber didn’t comment any further, and got to his feet.

  “For some time I’ve been hearing a rumbling sound. Can you hear it?” he asked her.

  “Maybe. Like an engine?”

  He paused to concentrate. “Perhaps.”

  “Could it be whatever’s providing light down here? I would love to get a glimpse into the inner workings of this place. Find out how their food is processed.” She stopped in mid-stride. “What if those blue pancakes are made from those blue thumb fruits?”

  Kyber continued down the corridor without answering. She hurried to catch up.

  “Kyber.”

  He halted and held up a hand. “Listen.”

  She strained to hear what had caught his attention. It was a muffled noise. Deep, like an engine running online. Kelen smiled at him.

  They moved quickly down the corridor toward the sound until they reached another door. Kyber placed his palm against the panel. “I feel vibration coming from the other side.”

  She started to reply, when he slapped the green symbol. The portal dropped open, and a wall of mist and humidity billowed through the doorway, along with the unmistakable roar they’d been hearing.

  Stepping out of the corridor and onto a wide earthen ledge, Kelen stared wide-eyed at the chamber. If she’d been fascinated by the size of the cavern which encased the small forest, this place was overwhelming. It was easily ten times bigger, extending hundreds and hundreds of meters across and downward. Yet, its vastness wasn’t the most incredible thing about it.

  Kelen laughed loudly. “Oh, my God, Kyber! Look at the waterfalls! Look at all the waterfalls!” She had to raise her voice to be heard over the noise created by the tons of water rushing over the lip of rock. There had to be
a dozen falls, each one a different size and height from the others. Some were narrow, some fell only a short distance, but all of them drained into an enormous lake-size pool at the bottom.

  Kyber nudged her arm and pointed to something in the distance. “There!” he shouted.

  She strained to see what he was indicating. “What is it?”

  “It looks manmade, like a screen.”

  “A screen?”

  She finally saw it—a wide, pale yellow sheet of some kind that appeared to billow in an imaginary wind. If she were to guess its size, it had to be at least forty or fifty meters high and at least twice that wide. It seemed to be attached to posts erected on opposite sides of the cavern, and water from the pool poured into it, to disappear into what appeared to be another vast chasm.

  Kelen wiped her face with her sleeve. The mist soaked through her clothing, and droplets were starting to dribble down her cheeks and forehead.

  “Let me guess. You want us to make our way down to whatever that thing is, right?”

  “Do you have any other suggestions?”

  She glanced around the area where they were standing. It appeared to be a ledge carved from the wall of the cavern. Muddy earth coated the rock, making it slippery underfoot. “Kyber?” She motioned to where the door was, or had been. A wall of dirt faced them. “Do you think that was intentional? Hiding the doorway like that?”

  “We can talk about that at a later time. Right now, let’s see if we can’t get down off this platform without breaking our necks or falling into the water.”

  “Oh, great. More down. I’m beginning to wonder if we’ll ever see sunlight again.”

  He flashed her a quick grin, realizing her grousing was meant in jest.

  By her estimate, it took them longer to get to the lower level of the chamber than it had when they’d left the gardens and ended up where the pile of skeletons lay. Twice they paused to catch their breath. At those times, she caught Kyber running his hands over his body, squeezing out the water which accumulated in his short fur.

  “I bet you take on a few extra pounds of weight when you’re wet,” she commented.

  “I don’t mind it if I’m bathing, but this is different.” He glimpsed inside the leather-like pouch where he’d stored their food. “Fortunately, it’s still dry. The moisture hasn’t affected it.”

  “Yet,” she added.

  He waved for her to follow. “Come. Hopefully we’ll find a drier location.”

  “If we stay here much longer, we won’t need to take a bath or wash our clothes. It’ll already be done for us.”

  He chuckled but didn’t reply.

  They continued climbing down the slick terrain. Twice, the ground around them shifted from underfoot. One started a small mudslide, but they were able to ride out the short-lived avalanche.

  They finally reached a wider ledge where the edges of the underground lake lapped onto the rocks. Here, the stones appeared more natural, and not carved. Kyber checked the area to get his bearings. “The object is around that bend. It shouldn’t be far now. How are you holding up?”

  She nodded. She felt rung out, and her legs were wobbly from the ordeal. “I’m good. Let’s hope the rest of the way is more level.”

  She was interrupted by a slurping sound, followed by a low rumble. Kyber grabbed her about the waist and dove for the edge of the rock as a huge pile of mud plunged down from overhead and landed on the space where she’d been standing. Kelen gasped at how close she’d been to being engulfed in the sludge.

  “Thanks. That was close.” She looked up at him, smiling, but his attention was diverted upward. Turning around, she glanced over at where he was staring. On the ledge above them, close to where the mudslide had originated, a round face framed in orange-red hair peered down at where they’d fallen.

  She blinked to clear her vision. “Dox? Dox, is it you? Or am I hallucinating?”

  The little man beamed back. “Hello, Kelen. Where you been?”

  Chapter 21

  Regrouping

  Dox led them along a narrow trail edging the side of the cliff face. The path was narrower than the corridor, making the way more treacherous for Kyber to navigate. Every so often, Kelen would pause to get a sense of where they were heading, and realized they were aiming for the sail-like artifact.

  Several times she started to ask the little engineer about where he’d gone when he’d left the bone room, but the increasing roar of the waterfalls made conversation futile. She glanced behind her to check on Kyber’s progress. The Seneecian motioned for her to move along. His demeanor had changed with Dox’s appearance. She could almost see the invisible wall he’d thrown up between them, dividing them into two separate and distinct camps. They were no longer a couple. They were amiable enemies joined together for survival’s sake. Kelen sighed and continued onward, but she cradled a little flame of hope within her that what had occurred in that little room had been the real thing. Real caring. The very real possibility of affection that would grow more substantial. Maybe into love.

  Love.

  She took a deep breath to steady herself. Was that even possible? Could she become enamored of the Seneecian? Aren’t I already at that point?

  She knew she couldn’t put Kyber in the same box as any man of her species. His traditions, his customs, his entire way of life—even the way he copulated with her was unlike anything she’d experienced. Yet, she couldn’t assume that what they’d shared earlier was a prelude to something more profound.

  Those tender little moments may have meant absolutely nothing more to him than foreplay. Once the sex was over, it was back to the norm.

  Her heart gave a lurch at the thought. As much as she wanted to believe differently, for the moment she had to continue on as if nothing had happened. Maybe there would be another opportunity for them to be alone. Somewhere they could drop those damnable barriers and indulge in more bi-species sex that both fulfilled her and, at the same time, left her craving him. And afterward, if she was lucky, find out exactly where she stood with him.

  They rounded another bend, when Dox stopped. “It’s me! Dox!” he yelled. Seconds later, Fullgrath appeared in front of them, holding the pulse rifle like a club. His jaw dropped when he spotted Kelen.

  “Dear God in heaven! Chambliss! You made it!”

  “Not without Kyber’s help,” she quickly added as the big guy rushed up to swallow her in a bear hug. “What about you? How’d you get away? Did any of the others make it?”

  “Have you seen any of my men?” Kyber inquired.

  Fullgrath glanced at the Seneecian, then back to her. “We all did, miracle of miracles. We all made it out of that worm trap.” He looked at Kyber. “Even the Seneecians.”

  “How?” Kelen asked.

  The man glanced around, and Kelen noticed a figure in the distance waving at them from atop a small ledge. It looked like Mellori. “Come on,” Fullgrath said. “Let’s get you to the campsite where you can dry out those clothes.”

  “Campsite?”

  Dox had gone on ahead. She assumed to tell the others. When they came around one more bend in the cliff, the rest were waiting for their arrival.

  She was gathered into another big hug by Jules, then Mellori. A quick glance over where the Seneecians stood, they greeted Kyber with arm shakes and slaps on the back and shoulder. At no time did Kyber look her way, and disappointment colored the reunion.

  “Come dry out in front of the fire, then tell us what happened to you,” Sandow ordered, guiding her over to where a large fire blazed on one flat expanse of rock. Less than a hundred meters away, the enormous sail-like contraption billowed above their heads.

  Kelen approached the warmth and let the heat penetrate. Even though the mist and temperature were not chilly, her water-sodden uniform seemed to have sapped her strength. She held out her hands toward the flames as the others gathered around. On the opposite side of the fire, Kyber approached to also dry out.

  “Where have you been,
Chambliss?” Dayall took a seat on a nearby boulder and scrutinized her appearance. “Were you injured when those eye worms attacked?”

  She shook her head. “No. When those things came at us, I must have hit one of the door symbols, and we fell inside a room. An apartment, we think. What are you using as fuel? The wood around here has to be soaking wet.”

  “Dox found a deposit of caesium. What do you mean, it was an apartment?”

  Kelen looked at Mellori. “Caesium burns when it comes in contact with moisture, but it’s also an isotope, right?”

  The engineer nodded. “Dox is trying to isolate that element, to give us a source of energy.” He pulled his useless pistol from its holster and held it up. “He says he might be able to recharge our weapons.”

  “Chambliss.”

  She glanced back at the commander.

  “Answer the question. Where have you been these past two days?” he ordered.

  His tone rankled. Worse was the look he gave her. To her, it was both condescending and misogynistic. She glared at him.

  “We’ve been surviving, Commander. We ended up in a little room, which we discovered must have been an apartment or habitat for some of those little creatures. The ones we believe used to be the original inhabitants of this world.” Remembering the pancake Kyber had given her, she reached inside her pants pocket and pulled out the remains. “Okay, it’s no longer edible, but we found symbols that gave us water and food. This used to be a blue pancake of sorts. There was also a yellow mush. None of it has any taste, but it saved us from starving.”

  Dayall’s face flushed. “So you went against Sandow’s orders not to taste or eat anything without him testing it first?”

  She whirled around to face the man directly. “Doc wasn’t around! For all we knew, Kyber and I were the last survivors! We needed sustenance and water. Thank God, we found both.”

  The commander addressed Kyber. “Did you put her up to that? Make her taste it before you did?”

  Kelen gasped at Dayall’s implication. “Commander!”

  Kyber waved for her silence, then turned his scowl upon the man. “How long have you been in military command, Dayall? How many years?”