Another Uoria Holiday: A Sci-Fi Alien Warrior Holiday Romance

by Scott, Ruth Anne

  Emerie let out a long breath and leaned her head back against Kyven as if thinking through what he had asked. The light faded slightly again and Kyven felt the nervousness in his chest increase. Finally Emerie began to speak.

  “In the war that they were fighting, their temple was destroyed. When the Maccabees were victorious, they sought to rededicate the temple and reclaim their identity and their faith. They went in and tried to find oil to light their lamps, but the oil had been contaminated. They finally found a bottle that was still intact, but it was only enough to last for a single day.”

  “Just one?” Kyven asked.

  Emerie nodded.

  “It would take eight in order to purify more oil and that meant that they would go for a full week without any light. They had no choice, though, so they used the oil. Only, it didn’t stop after that one night. It kept burning, and it burned for the full eight nights until they were able to produce the new oil.”

  “The Festival of Lights,” Kyven said.

  Emerie nodded.

  “That light was a miracle.” The glow from the light stick around them faded again, the circle growing even closer to them. Now the breath was loud enough that Kyven knew there no way that he would be able to stop Emerie from hearing it. “I think that’s where our similarities to the Maccabees ends,” she said, sounding weaker.

  “Why?” Kyven asked.

  Again the light faded, the energy within the power cells depleting more rapidly now.

  “Their light lasted when it wasn’t supposed to,” she said. “Ours is disappearing by the second. They got their miracle.” The light faded again, closing in so that only a few inches of space on either side of them was still touched by the glow. Emerie let out a shuddering sigh. “It looks like we aren’t going to.”

  Kyven closed his body in around her as tightly as he could. His arm was starting to ache from holding up the light stick, but he wouldn’t lower it. He would keep the light around them for as long as it lasted. The breathing of the creature had grown loud and intense again, filling the space around them nearly as powerfully as it had the first time that they had heard it. He knew that the only thing that was keeping whatever that creature was from getting to them was the weakening glow of the light stick. He wouldn’t tell her he was afraid. He wouldn’t admit to her that in that moment he didn’t know what they were going to do or if they were even going to survive long enough for the others to find them. The light would go out soon, and the only option that they would have would be to fight the creature that lurked in the shadows, that found its protection in the darkness just outside of their protective glow.

  “They didn’t know that they were going to get a miracle until it happened,” he said. “They thought that the oil was only going to last for that one day. They lit it anyway. They didn’t know that it was going to last any longer until the next day, and the next, and the next. All they could do is hope. Hope and keep going.”

  The light faded further and Kyven heard the creature coming closer. Its smell broke through the cold of the air around them and filled his lungs with its dank, sickening heaviness. Kyven could feel the air shivering with the current of each deep breath. He felt terror coursing through his veins. The only other time that he had ever felt fear even similar to this was when the Denynso, under the leadership of Pyra, had imprisoned the Mikana men in a section of the human settlement meeting hall, leaving them with little food or water, and not knowing when, or if, they would ever be released. Even then, Kyven knew what danger he was facing. He understood the hunger deep in his belly, the thirst parching his throat, and the violent threats in Pyra’s voice reverberating in his ears. This creature was completely unknown, and that made the threat even more frightening.

  Kyven let his eyes close briefly, thinking back on his time in the meeting hall. They had learned to fear the Denynso then. These warriors who they had always learned were the most powerful and noble of men throughout the galaxy, had come and captured them, forcing them into imprisonment because of something that they didn’t understand. It would be several long, painful days before they were liberated and learned that the Denynso king, Creia, had condemned the actions of Pyra and those who followed him, and was seeking the forgiveness and alliance of the Mikana.

  Despite the fear and misery that those days had held, the thought of them brought a faint smile to his lips. He tucked his cheek against Emerie’s head in the dying light.

  “You were my miracle,” he said. “When Pyra had us locked away, there were moments when I didn’t think that I would survive. But you were brave. You came to us even under the threat of the Denynso. You kept us alive. Every time that you walked away, I was afraid that you weren’t going to come back. You always did. You came until they released us. You were my miracle.”

  Emerie turned her face up to Kyven’s and their lips met in a deep, tender kiss. Finally the light went out.

  Kyven scrambled to his feet, feeling the ground for their weapons. The creature grunted as it came toward them. He could feel the sandy ground shifting as it walked, its feet landing heavily as it approached. The darkness was suffocating and disorienting, and Kyven could only use the sound of the creature’s breath and its sickening smell to guide him toward it. He reached back and found Emerie with his palm.

  “Get back,” he said. “Move back until you feel the wall and stay there.”

  “No, Kyven,” Emerie said. “I won’t let you do this alone.”

  “Do it!” Kyven demanded. He could feel the breath of the creature brush against his face and he drew his sword back. “Just go! No matter what happens, stay where you are. I will try to get it as far in the other direction as I can.”

  He took only a second longer to feel the presence of her body against his hand, wondering if he was every going to feel it again, and then dove to one side. The creature let out a frustrated growl and he heard the sand shift, telling him that it was likely turning around toward him. Kyven longed for starlight. He remembered the seemingly endless cascade of stars across the sky in Uoria each night and how clear nights would light up nearly as bright as day when the moon was full. Above them, though, there seemed to be nothingness. No light filtered from the gap where they fell. There was nothing to break the blackness that he moved through.

  A sharp pain shot down Kyven’s back and he realized that the creature had caught him with a claw. He whirled around, bringing his sword down with as much force as he could. He felt it make contact with something and heard a roar. Kyven yanked on the sword, pulling it out of the creature and then immediately slashing with it, feeling the resistance as the blade caught the being’s body and dragged through it. He stumbled back a few feet, trying to guide the creature away from Emerie. The longer that he could keep it away from her, the better chances that she had to survive until the others came to help or the sun finally rose again.

  Kyven dropped down to the ground and rolled to one direction. He reached his hand forward, hoping to feel the wall, but he felt nothingness. Staying low, he ran in the opposite direction. The breathing was getting louder and it was as if every breath that the creature drew it took air from the cavern so that Kyven struggled to fill his lungs. He felt himself getting dizzy. He walked backward until he felt the wall against his back. The creature was coming toward him. He could hear its steps and the hiss of its breath. Suddenly, from somewhere behind the sounds of the creature, Kyven heard Emerie whimper. He didn’t know how he was able to hear such a tiny, fragile noise with the sounds of the creature filling his ears. No matter why he heard it, it seemed to spark something that burned through the fog and reignite his energy.

  Kyven wrapped both hands around the handle of his sword and swung it up over his head. He waited until he felt the creature come within inches of him and then slammed the blade down. Just as his weapon drove into the creature, he felt another sharp pain, this time through his belly. He let out a grunt and covered the wound with his hand, pressing against the fee
ling of warm blood dripping through his fingers.

  A high-pitched cry rang through the cavern and then the creature let out another rumbling roar. There was another sharp cry and the creature grunted, stumbling forward toward him so that he felt one of its feet brush against his leg as it tried to get away from the blows. Kyven realized that Emerie had left the place at the wall and attacked the creature from behind.

  “Emerie, no!” he shouted. “Get out of the way!”

  He climbed to his feet and slashed at the creature again, trying to force it away from Emerie as he made his way around it toward her. He reached out to feel her, finally grasping around her wrist. A tremendous impact hit Kyven and he fell forward, knocking Emerie to the ground and sending his sword skittering away from him. He tucked his arm under her and tried to move both of them across the cavern to get out of the way of the creature’s crushing feet. The wounds in his back and stomach, however, had taken much of his strength and he knew that he wouldn’t be able to completely escape the danger. He covered her with his body to protect her from the creature coming down on her and tried to whisper soothing sounds into her ear.

  An instant later, the creature growled and Kyven heard its feet scraping across the ground, retreating toward the back of the cavern as the space around them suddenly filled with a blindingly bright light.

  Chapter Seven

  The pounding on the shuttle door broke Maxim out of the happy moment that he was sharing with Ivy. He turned toward the door, his muscles tightening with anticipation.

  “Maxim!”

  The voice coming through the thick shuttle door was muffled by the layers of metal. He stepped closer to the door.

  “Maxim!” the voice shouted again, louder this time.

  The shout came through to him enough that Maxim was able to recognize the voice.

  “Athan?” he called out.

  There was more pounding on the door and he heard Athan, Lynx, and Rain all yelling at him together. He crossed to the control panel beside the door and inputted the code that Elise had given him. The lights around the top of the door went through a series of changes, Maxim put in the second code, the lights changed again, and he heard the internal locking mechanism within the door release. He put in the final code and pulled on the handle to the door. It opened and Athan rushed inside, followed by Lynx and Rain. Maxim stepped out of the way to let them inside. He leaned out of the door to check for others who may have also returned to the shuttle, but the dark desert was empty. As he closed the door behind them he hoped that the other groups had the supplies that they needed to stay safe on the unfamiliar planet in the dark.

  “We need your help,” Athan said as Maxim turned around to face them.

  Behind the older man Maxim could see Ivy sitting up straighter on the lounge chair. She crossed her arms over her belly, seeming to provide both protection and a level of concealment that would allow her to fulfill her goal of keeping the baby a secret during the war.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “Kyven and Emerie are in danger,” Athan said.

  Maxim immediately felt fear go through his heart.

  “What’s happened?” he asked. “Where is my brother?”

  “We met up with them outside of the compound and started to explore together,” Rain explained. “There’s a quarry just beyond the hills behind the compound. We went into it an encountered a Valdician. While fighting it, some of the rocks collapsed and Kyven and Emerie fell through.”

  “We weren’t able to reach them,” Lynx continued.

  Maxim tried to listen to all of them, speaking one right after another as if wanting to relay the message as quickly as they could and were impatient with one another.

  “They’re under the rocks?” Ivy asked, sounding concerned.

  “There seemed to be an underground cavern,” Athan said. “They were safe when we left. But that was hours ago. We need to get back to them as soon as we can to get them out. We don’t know what they might be facing down there. The body of the Valdician was lying on the rocks above them when we left. If others come for it, Kyven and Emerie will be completely at their mercy.”

  Maxim nodded his agreement and crossed the room to pick up his bag again.

  “Did you see any of the others on your way back?” he asked.

  Lynx shook his head.

  “No,” he said. “Emerie and Kyven are the only ones we saw since leaving the shuttle.”

  “They should be heading back here soon,” Maxim said. “It’s too dark out there for them to do much more investigation of the planet. Lynx, wait here while Athan and I get more supplies. If you hear any of the others get back, confirm their identity and I will let them in. Hopefully we will have more help before we go.”

  Maxim and Athan rushed out of the common room and toward the small storage room in the back corner. Once inside, Maxim lifted a narrow panel in the floor that led to a winding staircase. They followed the stairs down into the larger storage area of the shuttle that Elise had showed him as they prepared for their exploration of the planet. Rows of metal shelves lined the walls, holding supplies from food to tools. Maxim opened his bag and filled it with everything that he could, using a strap to add more tools to the outside. Athan followed his lead, gathering more of the tools and food for his own bag. They both filled their arms with further supplies for the others that would come along with them and were starting up the stairs when Maxim heard Lynx calling for him.

  Maxim rushed up the stairs into the common room.

  “It’s Zyyr and Lila,” he said.

  Maxim walked up to the door.

  “Zyyr?” he called out.

  “It’s me, Maxim,” the warrior called into him.

  Maxim went through the process of unlocking the door again and opened it. Zyyr and Lila stepped inside. He quickly explained the situation to the warrior and handed him some of the supplies that he had carried up from the storage bay. He wished that Nylek had come back, too, and that Oro was there. He reminded himself that Oro was on his way to Earth to rescue Pyra, Eden, and the others and knew that that responsibility was vital to their success. The four of them would be enough. They had to be enough.

  “Ivy, stay here with Lila and Rain.”

  “I want to go with you,” Ivy protested.

  Maxim gave her a stern, directed look. He shook his head, knowing that his expression would relay what he wanted to say.

  “You need to stay here,” he said. “Eat and relax, and get something ready for everyone to eat when we get back. If you can, make something that we can eat in the morning.” He could see that she was still feeling reluctant to remain behind while they went to the quarry. He softened his eyes and reached for her hand, pressing his lips to it. “We all have to take care of ourselves,” he said softly. “We need to rest, eat, and be prepared for whatever tomorrow will bring.”

  His words seemed to get through to her and she nodded. Maxim gathered her Ivy in his arms and hugged her tightly.

  “Be careful,” she whispered into his hair.

  “I will be,” he replied.

  “I love you.”

  “I love you, too,” he said. He kissed her cheek and lowered his voice even further. “Both of you.”

  Maxim released Ivy and turned to the men waiting at the door.

  “Are you ready?” he asked.

  “Yes, Maxim,” Lynx replied.

  “Let’s go.”

  The men walked out of the door and down into the desert sand. Maxim recoiled from the cold air that had settled over the planet after the sun set and reached into his bag. He pulled out a thick cloak he had taken from the storage bay and placed it around his shoulders, pulling the hood up over his head and securing the front tightly with a row of metal clasps. He had another of the cloaks in his bag, ready to give to his brother when they got him out of the quarry. Maxim drew in a breath at the thought and pushed his feet to move faster along the chilled sand.
They had to get him out. Kyven had to be alright. They owed it to Aegeus for both of them to be safe and ready for him when he arrived on Penthos so that they were finally able to face down their shared enemy together, just as they always should have.

  Rain gave the door handle a hard tug and sighed when it didn’t budge. Ivy shook her head.

  “Maxim secured it,” she said. “There’s no way to get in or out without the access codes and only he and Elise have them.”

  “I know,” Rain said. “I just had to try.”

  She had barely gotten the words out when the lights above the door flashed and Ivy heard the click of the locking mechanism within the door again. She knew that it couldn’t be Maxim. They had been gone for less than an hour, and Rain had already warned them that it would take hours for them to get to the quarry and back. She stood and crossed to the door just as it opened and a heavily cloaked figure stepped in. Ivy gasped and took a step back, but the figure pushed the hood off of its head, revealing Nylek beneath. Elise stepped inside behind him, another of the hooded cloaks tied around her to accommodate her smaller frame.

  “What’s going on?” Ivy asked.

  Elise pulled the robe away from her body, seeming like she was trying to get it away from her as quickly as she could. She dropped it to the floor and kicked it out of the way.

  “It’s cold out there,” Nylek said. “We encountered Valdicians who had robes that we needed. We have them now.”

  The warrior spoke sternly and without emotion. It told Ivy that he wasn’t going to elaborate on what had happened when they were exploring the planet, and she wasn’t going to push him. She wasn’t sure that she wanted to know what they had faced or how they came to be wearing the robes.

  “Where are the others?” Nylek asked.

  “They’ve gone to help Kyven and Emerie at the quarry behind the compound,” Ivy said.