Heart of Stone

by Regine Abel

  Brianna moaned in pain as she freed herself from my embrace. “Alkor! Are you okay?” she asked, pawing frantically at me in search of injuries.

  I nodded, my head heavy and my back hurting. I didn’t want to think what might have happened had we not already been descending to land.

  “I must go retrieve the sensors,” I slurred, wondering if I would have the strength to even get there.

  “You’re in no condition to fly anymore!” Brianna exclaimed. “Do they have Khargal technology?”

  “No but—”

  “Let’s get you in the car.”

  “But—”

  “Alkor, you’re getting in the fucking car!” Brianna hissed in a tone that brooked no argument. “Who cares if anyone finds them? The Syndicate will certainly come clear out the corpses so the authorities don’t come sniffing around their organization. If people find your sensors, they’ll wonder what kind of paranoid freak had set them up, but it will not give them anything Earth shouldn’t have. You can barely stand up, and more of those crazies could show up any minute. Get your ass in the van, right now.”

  The sensors didn’t possess Khargal technology, but my design was far more advanced than what humans normally built. Still, the likelihood that the person who might discover them would be knowledgeable enough to realize it was slim to none. With much reluctance, I conceded defeat. Retracting my wings, I leaned heavily on Brianna who all but dragged me to the van with a strength she hadn’t possessed a couple of weeks ago. I collapsed into the back of the van which contained some kind of cage, no doubt to contain me had the Rose Syndicate agents succeeded in their mission.

  Sleep claimed me just as the vehicle started moving.

  16

  Brianna

  I drove, blindly at first, content to follow the road away from the cabin and in the opposite direction from the waterdrome. But fearing I might be heading away from our rendezvous point, I stopped the vehicle long enough to use the onboard GPS. Based on its history, Stephen and his men had indeed come from the waterdrome. I hated not being able to see Alkor, lying in the back in his stone form, and not being able to pick his brain about our best course of action. And yet, a part of me loved that this time, I was the one saving him.

  The van was not a rental. The cage setup at the back had taken a while to install, and the whole thing appeared custom—not some quickie job done at the last minute. I hadn’t taken the time to check the license plate, but I didn’t doubt for a moment that it would be altered or even a stolen one. I would also bet the Rose Syndicate had some kind of tracker on the vehicle. When Stephen and his goons failed to report in time, their acolytes would descend on us like a swarm of locusts.

  Thinking of Stephen twisted my insides. I’d considered him a friend for so long. And even after what he’d done at the belvedere, I hadn’t wished him harm. Why couldn’t they have just left us alone? We weren’t causing any harm. We just wanted to leave, go away in peace. And now… Now I had blood on my hands and a death on my conscience. Alkor had been right in calling it self-defense, but that didn’t change the fact that this would haunt me probably for the rest of my days.

  I stared down at my nails as that horrible scene replayed in my head. Something, some kind of primal instinct, had come over me. An exquisite pleasure-pain had coursed through my hand, a burning sensation at the tips of my fingers as my nails elongated by maybe half an inch, into sharp, pointy claws. With a mind of its own, my hand had slashed at his throat, removing the threat to my mate and to myself. Within moments of snapping out of that strange defensive trance, my nails had reverted to their normal length. My fingertips still throbbed, though it was no more than a dull, distant pain. In time, I would probably no longer feel pain when my claws came out or retracted, like Alkor’s. In truth, I hoped there would never be any reason in the future for me to bring them out ever again. Well… maybe just to open an envelope or slice through the tape wrapping a package.

  Shaking myself out of those somber thoughts, I decided to drive to the end of the road closest to the general direction of Gargoyle Ridge. In spite of that, we’d still have well over 100 km to cross by flight, if not more. Online maps didn’t allow me to clearly calculate the distance between those two uncharted locations—or at least, I had no clue how to do it if such a feature existed. As we closed in on the road’s end, I considered our options. With another twenty-four hour wait, no camping gear, and no proper shelter, this van could house us in relative comfort.

  But the damn tracker…

  There hadn’t been a single residence in sight for a while now, although I had passed a few small dirt roads no doubt leading to hidden cabins in the woods. I’d been too frazzled to really pay attention to the name on the sign by the road, but this appeared to be some kind of fishing area. It hadn’t begun snowing yet, probably wouldn’t for another couple of weeks. I considered driving the van into the woods, rather than leaving it in plain sight in the empty parking lot, but that would draw more suspicions from the locals than leaving it here. Anyway, I expected us to be long gone before sunrise.

  Turning off the engine, I stepped out of the vehicle, made my way to the back of the van, and sat down next to Alkor, still deep in stone sleep. I’d been driving for an hour and twenty minutes. By now, I suspected the Rose Syndicate had become aware of the mission’s failure. The question was how close were the other agents? I prayed they weren’t in the Northwest Territories, yet. There would be no available flights in the middle of the night, and driving would be even longer than just waiting for morning. But then, what if…

  “I can almost hear you thinking,” Alkor said, startling me.

  “You’re awake?” I asked, immediately feeling silly for the self-evident answer. His skin slowly reverted back to normal as he sat up, drawing me into his embrace. “Are you rested enough? The drug—”

  “I am,” Alkor said, reassuringly. “I woke every time you stopped the vehicle. As for the drug, Daniel only hit me with one dart. It would have taken at least a couple of them to fully knock me out. Duramna does wonders to eliminate toxins. How are you?”

  “I’m fine. I’m… I’m really happy you’re awake,” I confessed, embarrassed to be so needy.

  Alkor smiled and kissed my forehead. Stretching his neck, he looked out the window, probably to get a sense of where we were. He rose to his feet, hunched down so as not to bang his head on the roof, opened the side door of the van, and hopped outside. He looked slightly unsteady on his feet but not alarmingly so. Turning towards me, Alkor extended a hand to help me out of the vehicle.

  Despite the crispness of the late fall night, I didn’t feel cold. I should have been, but the air felt cool at best. Another blessing of Alkor’s dassa. He flexed open his wings, stretching them while inhaling deeply. I stared in awe at his beautiful profile, his strong body, and beloved face. My savior, my mate, my incredible Khargal.

  “The Syndicate will come for their van,” Alkor said, matter-of-factly. “Are you still fine with the cold?”

  I nodded. “Yes. I was just thinking about how wonderful it is that I hardly feel it.”

  “Good,” he said with a relieved smile. “We could look for a vacant cabin to spend the next 24 hours, but we run the risk of them tracking us down. I’m sure we can find a natural cave in the mountains to shelter in until departure time. It is not the romantic last day I wanted to give you, but at least we’ll be safe and out of reach.”

  “Actually, spending one day roughing it in the outdoors with my man sounds all kinds of romantic,” I said, wrapping my arms around his waist.

  “My beautiful Hondassa,” Alkor said with a tenderness that melted my insides.

  We kissed, his wings closing around us. For the next few minutes, we savored the moment before finally releasing each other.

  Picking up one of the phones, Alkor called Lana to give her an update since once we flew from here, we probably wouldn’t have a signal anymore. He seized the opportunity to ask her to use part of his estate
to compensate the owner of the cabin for the damage the Syndicate had caused. That thoughtfulness only made me admire him even more.

  After a last goodbye, where she wished us both well, he hung up, and I picked up our bag from the van. Although I worried about him and the lingering effects of the drug, Alkor reassured me he was fine before lifting off.

  Although I’d never admit it, I’d been relieved that he preferred scouting for a place while carrying me rather than coming back for me once he’d found a place. I would have spent the whole time freaking out, seeing the boogeyman in every shadow, and hearing him in every sound.

  As the wind whipped past us, the woods gave way to barren clearings, soon rising into rocky formations, and then mountains. It suddenly struck me that I hadn’t felt the usual nausea triggered by my fear of heights. In fact, my only unease stemmed from concern for my mate who, admittedly, showed no sign of weakness whatsoever. He flapped his wings with strength and speed. According to him, we were flying at about 90 km per hour, and at least a hundred meters—or more—above the highest peak.

  We flew for over an hour. Although I tried to convince Alkor to stop and rest, he plowed forward with unshakable determination, claiming to be fine. It eventually dawned on me that he already had a destination in mind. Sure enough, after well over ninety minutes of flight, he began circling around a specific peak, searching for a natural cave for us to shelter in. After a few misses, we finally found a decent-sized one, although it only looked like a tiny breach in the mountain face from the outside.

  “You know where we are,” I stated as we landed, dropping the bag that had grown heavy in my hands.

  “Yes. This is Promontory Peak,” Alkor said, cracking his neck and releasing the tension in his arms that had held me the entire time. “It’s less than a fifteen minute flight from the pick-up point. Nothing can keep us from that rescue ship.”

  Tears welled in my eyes as the stress and fear that had been my constant companions for the past two weeks, finally gave way to relief.

  “Thank you, God,” I said throwing myself into Alkor’s arms.

  My ribs hurt a little when he embraced me, sore from his solid hold during the flight. As my head rested on his shoulder, exhaustion suddenly washed over me. My interrupted sleep was catching up with me at last. Sensing my weariness, Alkor lifted me into his arms and carried me to the driest section at the back of the cave. Despite the complete darkness, I could perfectly see the flat, elevated slab of rock upon which Alkor settled down. Lying on his back, he pulled me on top of him to spare me from the hard surface, and blanketed me with his wings.

  Within seconds, my eyes closed, and sleep swept me away.

  Epilogue

  Alkor

  Under the clearest of blue skies and the bright rays of the sun, I laughed at my mate frolicking in the snow. She’d tried building a snowman, but the snow proved to be a little too powdery. Half of the snowballs she threw at me fell apart on launch, spraying her own face instead.

  After sleeping almost until noon, Brianna had wolfed down part of the food she’d wisely brought for us. When I declined any and chowed down on some of the abundance of minerals and rocks surrounding us, her eyes nearly popped out of her head. When I reassured her that she’d likely not need to eat stones, despite my dassa coursing through her, she almost passed out with relief.

  My mate was adorable.

  While we had snowy regions on Duras, the harshness of the climates in those areas would rarely make it possible for her to enjoy such carefree play in this fluffy whiteness. To my relief, that news didn’t distress her as Brianna had never been much of a fan of cold and snow. Nevertheless, she decided to make the most of this opportunity.

  Night came and went without incident. And, at long last, the sun rose on the morning of October 31st. Brianna ate our remaining food, making me gulp down what few bits she couldn’t swallow. Finally, we took flight, making slight detours on our way to the pick-up point so that we could admire one last time my mate’s home world, and the planet that had sheltered me for the past millennium.

  “Is that a Khargal?” Brianna asked, pointing at a dark form on the mountain ahead.

  Just as I opened my mouth to answer, the form disappeared in a shower of sparkling lights. My heart soared, and I addressed a silent prayer of thanks to Lar.

  “What…? What happened?” Brianna asked.

  “My brother just got teleported to the rescue ship. You will meet him soon enough,” I said, unable to hide the excitement in my voice.

  As we completed our approach, a dark form in the distance with a long span of wings flew his way up, a precious human cargo in his arms. My throat tightened with emotion at the sight of another of my kin coming home with his Hondassa.

  “Teleportation can feel strange,” I said as we landed. “Do not fight it. I will be right there with you.”

  “Okay,” Brianna said, eyes wide, her pulse racing in her neck.

  No sooner had I spoken those words than the tingling sensation I hadn’t felt in a thousand years spread through me as dancing lights surrounded my mate and me.

  “Alkor,” Brianna whispered, frightened.

  Her hands tightened around mine, and then darkness swallowed us for less than a blink. Brianna’s knees buckled as we reappeared on the transport pad. I caught her before she could hit the ground. Clinging to me, my mate fought back the nausea that twisted her stomach. Two Khargals stood before us, eyeing my mate with a tense curiosity. I frowned wondering what was going on.

  Brianna straightened and inhaled deeply a couple of times, bringing the unpleasant effects of first time teleportation mostly under control. The Khargal to the right scrunched his face in displeasure while the one to the left beamed at my mate, clearly pleased. I realized then that the fools had made a bet she’d spill her guts all over the floor. Which meant another one of my rescued friends had already brought a human on board.

  I bared my fangs at the two warriors to express my displeasure. They snapped to order, their eyes widening as they took in my seven horns and my uniform.

  “Ma… Major?” the Khargal on the left asked, wiping his smile from his face.

  “Drayvus,” I said in a stern voice. “Major Alkor Drayvus of the VV Keav.”

  Funny how military discipline came back naturally even after all this time. I’d always been a bit of a stickler for protocol. Finding those two making bets at my female’s expense while in the middle of a rescue mission had me itching with the urge to stab them with my wing spurs. Lucky for them they didn’t report to me or I’d have them fly two dozen laps around the racing arena in stone skin. The fledglings would no doubt collapse from the weight in under two laps.

  They saluted, suddenly nervous to have been found lacking in discipline.

  “Welcome home, Major Drayvus,” the no-longer-smiling Khargal warrior said. “Your dam and sire will greatly rejoice to have you safely returned. If you would kindly follow us, we will escort you to your quarters. At your earliest convenience, once you are rested and refreshed, Captain Traver will wish to meet you and…” his voice trailed off as he glanced at Brianna.

  “And my Hondassa, Fa Brianna Brent,” I completed for him.

  Both men bowed their heads slightly in respect towards Brianna. Although she didn’t understand their words, she returned the gesture with a nervous smile, accurately guessing they’d saluted her. The warrior retrieved a small device from his belt pouch and extended it to me. Although of a recent model, I recognized a universal translation device. My initial irritation with the undisciplined warrior almost fully melted. I nodded in gratitude and stored it in one of the pockets of my armor. As it sometimes caused slight headaches and dizziness on first use, I would wait until we’d reached our quarters before giving it to Brianna so she could fully understand the language of my people. The warrior gestured towards the exit before taking the lead. Wrapping my arm around my woman’s waist, we followed in his wake, the second warrior trailing behind us.

 
Brianna’s head jerked this way and that, her eyes wide as saucers as she took in her surroundings. The bright hallways, built tall and wide to accommodate a Khargal’s size and height, curved at the edges and rippled along their length. It gave them an organic feel so different from the generally flat walls in human architecture. Unable to resist, my woman stretched out a hand and caressed the undulating texture.

  “It’s like a non-creepy, bright version of a Giger design,” she whispered to me.

  I didn’t quite agree, but I could see some similarities if you significantly uncluttered his design and gave it a peaceful edge rather than his usual nightmarish visions.

  We settled into the spacious cabin that had been assigned to me. Despite being a Major, these accommodations exceeded my rank. I didn’t complain: my mate deserved nothing but the best. After a quick shower, Brianna laughed at me moaning when my taste buds practically had an orgasm at the first bite of Khargal food. One gracking thousand years without a taste of home. How had I not gone insane?

  Although rather anticlimactic, the meeting with Captain Traver nonetheless gave me the greatest news: the war was over. That Brianna would need to adapt to our harsh world was enough without having to deal with the tensions of war as well. The not so great news: because of spatial distortion between Earth and Duras, while we’d been wasting away here for a thousand years, only twenty years had passed back home. This meant I was now physically a little over four hundred years older than my parents.

  Bansial will never let me live it down.