Pyra didn't want to even think about possibly not finding anything much less talk to the other men about it. The idea that they had gone through this long and exhausting walk to find nothing was disheartening enough. Even worse, however, was the thought of having to take the walk again to make it back to the settlement only to tell Lynx that the people who he had put so much trust and hope in to help him free his intended mate no longer existed. Pyra couldn't imagine the torment that Lynx was facing at that moment. Young and volatile, Lynx had been one of the most unpredictable warriors Pyra had ever encountered. He had less experience than many of the other warriors, but what he had done had been impressive and he always put everything that he had into the battles that he fought. It was this intensity and dedication that made Pyra feel confident when he left him in charge of the others that remained in the settlement, but that also made him feel sorry for him.
His mate Eden was Pyra's heart and soul. Everything that he did, he did with her and the child that she cradled within her on his mind. He had been incredibly lucky to bond with her very quickly after meeting her. Even though she didn't like him very much when she first arrived at the compound to do her research, and to say that they didn't get along would have been an understatement, the intensity of his desire for her had been overwhelming to the point of almost being painful. Just the thought of her had pushed him to the brink of losing all of his control and his body had ached with his need to bond with her. Their first time hadn't been exactly as he would have imagined it, but at least it had happened. He had had the opportunity to take her into his arms and form the connection that would last for the rest of their lives. Lynx didn't have that chance. All he could do was look at Rain and feel that soul-crushing draw to her that would make him feel like he couldn't breathe, like he couldn't function at all without her.
The thought of the pain that Lynx was going through and the strength that he had been showing as they tried to understand the Light Ones, what had happened to them, and what they could do to possibly wake them up so that he could live his life with her, pushed Pyra to move faster into the empty space in front of them. He couldn't give up. He couldn’t go back to the settlement and face Lynx without knowing that he had done absolutely everything that he could do to find the kingdom and get the information he could to help him. Leading the Denynso warriors was more than just training them to fight and guiding them into battle. It was also about being the one person they could rely on to always stand by their sides and take care of them whenever they needed it.
They kept moving, their footsteps loud against the dry dirt, and their hard, labored breath seeming to echo around them even though there was nothing for the sound to bounce off of as it pushed out of their lungs and through their painful throats. Pyra didn't notice that the ground was rising until they crested the top of a hill and he felt his heart skip. In the valley spread beneath them was a tall gate leading into a cluster of buildings and curving, intricate roads. They had discovered the kingdom.
Chapter Three
Loralia rushed back into Ciyrs' shop where the others were crowded around the counter where they had spent the majority of their time since they had first heard about the Covra and their vicious attack on the Light Ones. Books and papers covered nearly every inch of the surface of the counter and piled on top of one another. She could sense the ebb and flow of their thoughts and emotions as they corresponded with their breaths; it was tense in the room from the intensity of their concentration. The moments ticked past, each unique and singular as they lived them, and she felt a painful tightening in her chest as she thought of how the men had described the Light Ones and the way that the Covra had stopped them in the span of less than a breath, less than a heartbeat.
What would it be like to be locked that way and then be lost for decades? What would the people who discovered them think of their lives and who they were should any one of those moments be their last? If any of these moments were crystallized as the final indication of their existence, would the people who found them years later understand them, or even have any idea of who they were? The thought made her heart hurt for the people of the settlement. Though the men were doing all that they could to understand them, to find out everything that they could about them, and to save them, what they could really know about them was so limited. They could only take what they could find and then assume the rest based on the exact moment where they had found each individual. It was as if those people were still lost. The men had found their forms and were gradually piecing together their existences, but their lives and their identities were still deeply hidden. She could only hope that if they could find out how to unlock them, they would be able to continue as they had been and live the lives that were intended for them.
The look on her face must have expressed the turmoil of emotions she was feeling because as soon as the door closed behind Loralia, Leia turned away from the counter to look at her and then came walking toward her.
"Loralia? Is everything alright?"
"I don't know," Loralia said, still gripping the silver compact, "Things have gotten more complicated at the settlement and I think that there is a way that we can help the men solve it, but I will need all of you."
Leia nodded, placing a comforting hand on Loralia's back.
"Of course. What do you need?"
"We need to go back to the prison."
As soon as she said that, Leia took a step back from Loralia, recoiling from her as if struck. Her eyes were wide with terror and tears already sparkled in them. Loralia knew exactly why she was reacting like that and took a step toward her, reaching out to offer her comfort now.
"I know," Loralia said, "I know that this is hard for you, Leia, and if you can't go back there, I understand, but I need as much help as I can possibly get. Lynx just discovered that the Covra are using the people of the settlement as incubators for their young, but he doesn't know why. They found out about the settlement and the people locked there from papers that they found in the prison. There might be more there that they didn't find but that could explain why they put their eggs inside the Light Ones, and maybe even what we could do to save them. You can stay here and continue to look through Ciyrs' books if it would be too hard for you."
Leia looked into the distance for a few long seconds as if she were thinking carefully about the situation. Suddenly she shook her head.
"No. I am going with you. The Klimnu are gone, but if I don't go back there, they are still controlling me. I have to prove that they didn't take my entire life from me."
Loralia admired Leia's strength and courage. This tiny, fragile-looking woman had spent 57 horrific, harrowing days in the hands of the Klimnu in that very prison. The Denynso didn't even know that she had arrived on the planet because the slimy, disgusting creatures had hijacked the space shuttle in the middle of the trip and taken her hostage. For nearly two months they had tortured her, bringing her to the brink of death. She herself had even said that there were times when she had wished that she simply would die so that she could be delivered out of the brutality. If it wasn't for Elianna also being kidnapped by the Klimnu and Ciyrs going after her because he knew that she was his mate, she never would have found Leia, crawling along the stone hallway deep in the recesses of the prison, inches from succumbing but in that moment more determined to survive and defeat the Klimnu.
Her time in the prison had been incredibly difficult for Leia, and in many ways she still hadn't recovered from it. Though she rarely spoke about it, she had offered Loralia just enough details that Loralia hadn't ever wanted to hear another. The torture had gone well past the physical pain to constant emotional and psychological torment that was in many ways far worse than what they inflicted on her body. Loralia could more than understand if Leia never wanted to be near that building again, and the fact that she would be so courageous as to not only want to go with them, but to do it specifically as a sign that the Klimnu didn't defeat her, was extraordinary.
"What prison are you talking about?" George asked from his position at the head of the counter.
"There is a prison at the far end of the compound that we thought had been built by the Klimnu many generations ago. It's where they held both Leia and Elianna, and where there was a battle that nearly defeated the Denynso, but it was burned down and the Klimnu ran. The men visited it again when they first started on their quest and they found an underground section that hadn't been damaged by the fire. They found an office full of documents and information about the Light Ones and the Covra, including a map to the settlement. That's how the men found the Light Ones in the first place."
"And you think that there may be more information there?" George asked.
"All we can do is try," Loralia answered, "We aren't getting far with these books and things, and if they found out how to get to the Light Ones from the prison, maybe there is more that they just didn't find because they didn't know what they should be looking for. The best we can do is go and look for them."
Loralia was worried that they weren't going to go with her, that they would think that it was a useless idea or that they needed to be spending their time focused on the information that they already had from Ciyrs' shop, but as soon as she finished talking, George straightened from his position beside the counter and looked at the other women.
"I think that's brilliant."
"Me, too," Zuri responded, "I can't believe we didn't think of it before now."
Loralia smiled and turned to Zsilvia who was huddling in her customary corner of the room.
"You're coming, too, right, Zsilvia?" she asked.
Zsilvia opened her mouth as if to respond and then her eyes moved over to George before snapping back to Loralia. She nodded sharply. Loralia could feel the pain radiating off of the Denynso woman, the heartache that filled her so intensely that Loralia was stunned the larger woman was even able to stand there. Loralia wished that she could understand what Zsilvia was going through so that she could help her. This was a time when she hated the skill that she was born with, the same skill every other one of her kind had possessed. Those who knew about it thought it was such a gift that she was able to detect the feelings and emotions of others just by being near them. They didn't ever consider that as she was feeling the pain, suffering, and confusion of others, she often had no idea why they were coping with those emotions or what she could do to help them. It was a deep level of torment that often made her concentrate on closing herself off from the people around her so that she couldn't feel what they were feeling, even if that made it difficult for her to connect with them in a personal way.
The women started to stream out of the building and, just as Loralia expected, Zsilvia hung back so that she would be the last one to leave. George lingered for a few moments, shifting papers around on the counter as if trying to stall leaving until the last second. Finally he gave up and walked toward the door, lifting his eyes to Zsilvia as he passed, but she wouldn't look his way. Loralia could feel a similar heartache coming off of George, but it was tinged with confusion, as if he either couldn't understand what he was feeling, or didn't know how to cope with the fact that he was feeling it.
Once George stepped out of the shop, Loralia sidled up to Zsilvia.
"Do you want to talk about anything?" Loralia asked.
Zsilvia looked at her sharply, the tears sparkling in her eyes a bold contrast to the steadiness of her jaw.
"What do you mean?" she asked, obviously unwilling to talk about whatever she was going through.
Loralia nodded and glanced through the glass in the door, catching a glimpse of George standing several feet away from the shop, his eyes trained on Zsilvia through the window even as the new woman, Ivy, stood by his side talking animatedly.
"Listen to him, Zsilvia," Loralia said, lowering her voice to a softer tone that would show the Denynso woman that she was speaking directly to her, "He is hurting. Let him tell you why."
Zsilvia held Loralia's eyes for a few more long seconds but didn't say anything before she turned away and walked out of the building toward the others who were waiting outside.
Chapter Four
Pyra closed his eyes tightly, told himself that he might have imagined the sprawling kingdom beneath them, and then opened them again. The dry ground beneath his feet dipped deeply on the opposite side of the hill, opening out into a wide valley that held a settlement that looked far from abandoned. Unlike the settlement where the Light Ones lived, this kingdom didn't look overgrown, tired, or forgotten. Even from the distance where they were standing, Pyra could see that this kingdom looked like it was truly thriving. The buildings themselves looked alive and vibrant, and he could see the slight shifts in the atmosphere that indicated movement from whatever species might live there.
The men gathered around him, all of them staring down the hill toward the kingdom as if they, too, couldn't quite give themselves permission to believe that they were seeing the kingdom that they had been searching for for two days and had nearly given up on ever finding. After a few moments, they all started to run, pushing themselves with all of the energy that they had left to get down the hill and toward the massive gate that led down into the kingdom.
A road paved with rounded grey and purple stones led from the gate into the middle of a large open area that reminded Pyra of the area of their compound in front of the main meeting hall. In the center of the common area a large fountain rose up out of the ground, showering water down from several tiers carved from smooth, pale stone. Pyra rushed toward it, shucking his bag from around his torso so that he could drop to his knees by the edge of the bottom of the fountain and dip his hands down into the cool water. The men followed his lead, nearly collapsing by the edge of the fountain so that they could fill their scooped palms with water and sip it down. The water briefly burned as it hit Pyra's incredibly dry throat, but soon it soaked into the stiff, thirsty tissue and became soothing. He drank until he felt satisfied and then rose to his feet.
The rest of the men rose up with him and they looked around at the people who were slowly surrounding them. They came out of the buildings that surrounded the common area and down narrow streets that led away from it. Pyra felt himself tense instinctively, his body becoming stiff and defensive as the unknown species approached. Out of the corners of his eyes he could see the other warriors become equally tense, preparing themselves for conflict just as they always did. It was a testament both to their birthright and to his training, but also seemed like a show of the distrust and discomfort that had built within them since their conflict with the Klimnu.
As Pyra watched the species approach, however, he realized that none of them showed any signs of aggression. In fact, they all looked calm, peaceful, and even intrigued by the sudden appearance of the Denynso. The closer they got, the more he realized how beautiful they were. Each of them was almost unnervingly beautiful; flawless and perfect in a way that made Pyra both less defensive and somewhat uncomfortable. Eden was stunning, but even he could recognize the little things about her that others might see as flaws. These creatures, however, were like paintings they were so startling in their perfection and it made him wonder what about them would balance that beauty. Nothing could be that perfect. It was an inevitability of life. There was something in every creature that was flawed in some way. It was these flaws that made them real.
"Hello," one of the people said as he approached Pyra.
The man came to within a few feet of Pyra and lifted his hand, presenting his palm toward Pyra. He looked at the warrior expectantly as if there was something Pyra should do, but he wasn't sure what. The man seemed to realize that Pyra was unsure of what to do and gave a soft smile. He reached forward and took the much larger man by his wrist, drawing his hand up so that he could press his palm and fingers to his own.
Once their hands met, he spread his fingers, taking Pyra's along with them.
"This is how we greet each other," he explained, "We want to welcome you to our home. My name is Rey."
"I'm Pyra, leader of the Denynso warriors."
Rey's eyes widened as his hand fell away from Pyra's.
"The Denynso?" he said with a hint of suspicion in his voice, "I have heard legends about you, but I always thought they were only myths."
Pyra felt Gyyx step up beside him and watched as he reached into the bag he wore over his shoulder. The tremendous warrior withdrew a small piece of paper that had been rolled into a tight scroll and released the ribbon that held it closed.
"Did the myths tell you of the sunrises on the Denynso compound?" he asked.
Rey glanced at him quizzically.
"Yes, of course. They are said to be the most beautiful on all of Uoria. The sun favors the Denynso and cloaks their home with its most majestic light in honor of them. The legends say it is from that light that the warriors gain their power and their intensity."
Gyyx unrolled the paper and held it out to Rey.
"My mate drew this. It was the sunrise on the first day that she was in the compound and the day that she met me."
Rey took the paper in his hands and Pyra saw his eyes glide over the picture, taking in the colors that Leia had used and the gentle strokes she had used to craft the image of the sunrise that had washed across the first day that she met her beloved mate. He nodded and handed the drawing back to Gyyx, who gazed down at it tenderly before rolling it back up and tucking it away in his bag.
"Why have the storied Denynso come to us?"
Relief washed over Pyra. He gave Gyyx a pat on his shoulder as he stepped back into the rest of the group and then looked back at Rey.
Alien Romance Box Set: Uoria Mates II Complete Series (Books 1 - 10): A Sci-fi Alien Warrior Invasion Abduction Romance Page 28