by Debbie Behan
‘I’m sorry. I should have warned you how much work I am.’
He lifted her onto the bench and from a first aid kit in the drawer, dabbed her grazes with lotion and laid a plaster across each hand. ‘Please tell me in future to stuff off if I go flinging orders. I’m just not used to having someone so fragile.’ He kissed her hand and the kindness made her smiled so brightly she glowed, literally. It took him by surprise and he stepped back as the glow highlighted her hands before disappearing.
Caitlin chuckled at his reaction while she removed the plasters, and the afterglow took away the redness it left. ‘See not so fragile after all. It’s better now.’
‘I know to be one of the Riders you are powerful, but to heal yourself, that’s beyond cool.’ He was flabbergasted. ‘The name Glow. That’s how you got it isn’t it?’
‘Yes, but sadly I didn’t do this.’ She held up healed hands. ‘My team mustn’t be too far away from us, and it’s their magic I must have just tapped into. No – unfortunately I can’t just do it myself.’
‘That’s right, you mentioned they had left when I got there this morning. Hope I have you to myself.’
He saw her listen for something and smile. ‘Yes, all yours.’
‘Bet they were ticked off.’
‘That isn’t the word for it. The boys would have loved this but even so, Rory would never intrude. No – they are up there somewhere working their hynies off whilst I partake in this little adventure all on my own.’
‘With me!’
‘The two of us.’
‘Well I’m happy today you were able to fix what I pushed you into. You are off kitchen duties soldier.’ He held her hand and searched for even a mark but there was none. ‘ Sorry, Glow.’
‘Accepted.’ Caitlin jumped off the bench. ‘Now I’m better, can we go?’ The warmth of light in her eyes flickered with excitement, and with it Aurek felt a sudden adrenalin rush. In fast motion, almost faster than the eye could follow, he had gone out, got another load of wood, placed it by the hearth and stood back in front of her.
‘Now we can go.’ He laughed as she slipped her arm through his, ready for transportation.
‘This time lazy one – we walk.’ He picked up his backpack, tossed it over one shoulder, a gun over the other and left Caitlin to follow as they trudged along a narrow dirt track that took them farther up the mountain.
Yellow flowers brushed soft against her legs and she couldn’t resist the urge to stop and touch them which caused her to lag behind. Aurek saw her interest and thought her unusual that even the slightest things gave her such pleasure, so picked one and put it in her hair. ‘A keepsake.’
He liked her smile and he wondered if this trip was about hunting for either one of them. A ladybird that crawled on a branch now fascinated her. The intense expression as it now crawled on her hand was like a child’s and yet he knew her strengths; she fascinated him.
Higher up the hill, the air thinned and he heard her breathe heavily and stumble at times after him. He teased her unfit state when she plonked down on a rock and drank a full bottle of water. ‘Too much lying around with that uncle of mine, he’s spoilt you, made you lazy.’
Instead of the usual clever reply her hand went up to stop him. ‘What’s that sound?’ she whispered.
There was dense bush not far from them and dropping down his backpack, gun in hand, he crept slowly towards it. ‘What do you want to catch for dinner? It may be a rabitto.’ He had them on their bellies waiting for it to come out.
‘Fish!’ she whispered and chuckled at his stunned look. ‘Just mucking with your head.’
He ignored her fooling around, rested the gun in her arms and held it steady for her. Knowing now how fragile his new friend was, he held it tight so the force of it going off didn’t leave a bruise on her shoulder. Once aimed, he got her to squeeze the trigger. The sound made her jump.
‘That shut you up didn’t it? Life becomes real without the magic of your horse.’
‘Hell yes. I’ve been spoilt. The blast of a supernova is like a door slamming.’ That was loud.’ She slapped him playfully, ‘What happened to health and safety? Where’s my earmuffs and safety glasses?’
It amused her to abuse him until her ears stopped ringing. ‘Anyway,’ her attention was back on the rabitto. ‘Did we get it? I’m not doing that again.’
’Direct hit. You got it babe.’
Suddenly her mood lifted. ‘Wahoo! They both jumped up and Caitlin high fived him. They retrieved their kill, but all the bantering and laughing had scared the rest of the creatures off. The one they did get they took over to a little stream nearby where he cleaned and gutted it, washing it in the cool water before securing it tightly in a sack. As he worked, her fascination with all that surrounded them had her ask, ‘Where are we? The ruler from here must be so proud. His land is so plentiful and alive.’
‘This is the home world of the ruler, Lord Mensa. The constellation named after him is one of the many spots I frequent. The two of us have shared many hunting trips and go way back.’ He gestured in a circle with his arm out. ‘These are the Table Mountains of Mensa. When we get over the next rise you should get a good view of his home land if the mist has lifted by then.’
At the top, Aurek stood holding Caitlin on a cliff edge so she could see the village below. ‘It’s old English culture, only this one’s not in ruins.’ A few loose rocks fell as she strained to peer further over the steep overhang.
‘I gotcha,’ Aurek calmed her when she became nervous.
The castle below had been built into a mountain, and the architecture was quite exquisite. The roofs of the cottages towered up like witches’ hats and a huge stone wall appeared to run around the full length of the township. She couldn’t help but get a warm feeling about the people; living so close to each other they would surely have to be a friendly community.
‘It’s so charming and check out the gardens. How meticulous are they!’
He was pleased she liked it and enjoyed her company as she chatted happily about what their lives must be like, while he steered them in search of some quail he knew rested not far away.
The journey back to the lake was educational and Caitlin enjoyed every second of it. Aurek amused her when he snaked along the ground, aiming the gun up and to the left of him towards some quails. He was a big man and how he thought he was camouflaged was beyond her, but he did get his prey.
As they sat by the waters’ edge, Aurek showed how to pluck the birds while they were still warm. The feathers easily came out. A quick wash and they were in the bag with the rabitto.
She slapped her hands together to remove the fluffy residue before diving into the coolness. The dive down proved to be further than she thought although she delighted at the clarity of the water, the bottom so visible she could see every little line and every brightly coloured stone that lined the floor bed. After a gasp for air and diving back down she went to retrieve one of the odd pebbles that caught her eye. Back up and resting on a ledge she washed the sand from it and admired the tones in the green stone.
Aurek joined her to see what she had discovered. He was amazed at what she found in the homelands here. No matter where he took her, not only she, but he too felt the magic of what would once, have only been a glance from him. With her, he too wanted to study nature at its finest but through her eyes.
‘What have you got this time?’ he asked.
‘Not sure, thought it might be a gem.’ She held her hand out flat so he could see.
‘Ah – they are Torpez stones. This is the only world you will ever find them.’ He picked it up and held it to her neck. ‘Matches your eyes, and it would make a most auspicious pendant.’ He handed it back. ‘Take it back with you.’
Her giggle muffled as she dived back down and positioned it where she found it. When she came up empty handed, he looked confused.
‘I’d never take something so precious that doesn’t belong to me unless the owner wanted me to have on
e. It belongs here for others to find and admire.’
‘You are one strange lady, so come.’ He gestured. ‘I saw something behind the waterfall.’
Both climbed the embankment and followed a slippery path behind the cave. Caitlin ducked straight in. Aurek followed quickly ready to snatch her up if there was something dangerous in it.
‘You’ve got no fear,’ he scolded. ‘What if you’re confronted by a bear or who knows what else lives here?’
‘Then you can take out your big gun and shoot it.’
‘That’s of course if I had it on me,’ he retorted, unamused she was taking this so calmly. He had to take good care of her and if she got even a scratch, he felt sure Axon would wring his neck.
She slipped her hand in his. ‘Come on, don’t wimp out on me now.’ She pulled at him to keep walking.
They got to a joining of rooms, which gave them three options. As Aurek debated what tunnel to take first, she lunged at him from behind making him think it was something coming at him. He jumped and her squeal of delight cracked them both up as it echoed so loudly. A flutter from birds she scared had their eyes flick up to the roof where glow-worms rested, and the brightness lit up the cave. ‘Keep that up Glow and I’ll throw you over my shoulder and take you home,’ he threatened.
She grinned. ‘Okay, I promise to behave.’ She kept her fingers crossed behind her back. Sure!
The first corridor led nowhere. The second led into a cave of bats that hung upside down. The things were so big they were the size of a small human. It got her going again. ‘Maybe vampires live here and this is their incubator. Bet they’re in the next cave hanging by their human-like feet. If they chase us I’ll protect you.’
‘Glow, you’re worse than taking a kid hunting, you’ve got such a vivid imagination,’ said Aurek said as entered the next tunnel. ‘Vampires don’t exist.’
Caitlin held his arm tight, not giving in to his factual statement. ‘But I didn’t believe immortals existed until I became one,’ she whispered, and ran off from him into the next cave.
There were no vampires; in fact nothing much of interest, but even before Caitlin got to the entrance he had snatched her up and was looking around to make sure it was safe. Her giggle got him going and he laughed with her. ‘I just wanted to give you some mystery.’ In his arms she became serious. ‘My saviour! You’ll never let me come to any harm now will you?’
‘No – I won’t, but no more testing.’ He was stern as he put her down. ‘You really know how to rattle a guy, Glow.’
‘Girl!’ She ran off and dived back in the water, Aurek followed, and they raced to the other side. The laughter echoed as they ran out and dried off. ‘Give you girl – you’re the bad girl. For that you carry the catch all the way home.’
When they got back Caitlin poked around the fire and got it going while Aurek cut up vegetables from the pantry. ‘Where did they come from?’ She leaned over, munching on a piece of raw carrot.
‘Lord Mensa had it stocked for us.’ He noted her look. ‘Don’t worry, we have this to ourselves. I told him I had a female guest so he won’t be expecting me to do much hunting – if you know what I mean.’ He raised an eyebrow. ‘Only way I could get him to leave us alone.’
Her smile told him all he needed to know. She was happy just to be with him too. He didn’t think he would enjoy this as much with a woman, but so far she had been nothing but a pleasure to spend time with. ‘Here, want to help?’
She pulled a face and blinked. ‘You’re game. Sure, I’ll give it a go.’ She took the peeler from him and started to take the skin off the potatoes and carrots. While they worked, they shared a bottle of moonjuice and chatted, with the peeler becoming the butt of most the jokes as she wrestled with it. ‘Stupid thing, I give up.’ She picked up the empty goblets. ‘I’ll pour us another drink.’
Aurek shook his head. ‘For someone that’s a part of the strongest crack team in the galaxy, girl, you’re hopeless in the kitchen.’
‘Hey – If you want me to blow the damned skin off, just ask. Peel it, forget that. My brain doesn’t work that slowly.’
He shook his head, giving up.
They ate and once tucked up in their sleeping bags, Aurek told her hunting stories until they fell asleep in front of the fire.
****
In the morning, she woke in his arms and her indignant shove woke him.
‘Cookies and cream?’
His grin was broad as he rolled over and pulled himself up. ‘It got so strong I couldn’t resist you any longer and when I cuddled into you, it must have been what you needed, because the sweet scent just evaporated into thin air. I experimented and moved away from you and it happened again. You have some built-in security system. It draws those around you in to protect you – very clever.’
‘Sorry I shoved you then, thought you were coming on to me. My friends sometimes told me I smelt good, but I never truly connected it to a power until Woody uncovered it. Even now I’m not sure how to control it.’
‘It’s no big deal. I didn’t mind sleeping with a redhead for a change. Just not used to sleeping with one all night if you get my drift.’
‘Sod off!’ She pushed at him. ‘Try that on me and you’d feel my wrath, buddy.’
He lay on his back. ‘Here you are, make me want to hug you and love you to bits. Then in the morning, you just dump me like a discarded old security blanket. Push me away and leave me with hurt feelings that I’m not good enough for you.’
‘Aurek, you’re so full of it. As if any woman would ever hurt your feelings. You’ve got enough confidence to last ten lifetimes. As for being my security blanket, I promise not to discard you until we leave here. Then I’ll dump your fine arse for someone else, as I always do.’ She rolled around the bedding in hysterics. He tickled her, making her laugh more.
‘Little witch. I won’t let you forget my arse and you won’t be dumping me for anyone. You’re my girlfriend now and Jett can buzz off.’
Aurek checked his watch and stopped fooling about. He pulled her to her feet. ‘Quick – or we won’t make it.’
He tossed her some warm clothes and a thick jacket and made a flask of coffee while she dressed. With a swipe of her hand across her sleepy eyes they were out the door and trudging back up the hill. At the top, breathless but glad of the exercise, Caitlin flopped down beside him and took the coffee he handed her. ‘I think you’ll like this,’ he looked up. Her eyes followed his view.
Dawn broke and the sunrise shot across the sky. Vibrant colours burst above them. The horizon met sky with water; the mirror image threw out a mirage that took on the appearance of a big ball of fire in 3D that soared across the sky. It was as if the sun was right in front of them, but she knew that wasn’t possible. It was a fantastic illusion and she leaned against Aurek, glad he’d dragged her out of bed to share it with her. Afterwards they headed back down the hill, and worked their way into a valley of massive rocks. Here, a voice called to them. Aurek waved, and gave Caitlin an apologetic frown as they headed towards the person and she felt unsure of his character when the man disappeared into a cave.
‘Who’s your friend? What’s going on? Why call out and then not want to talk to you?’
‘It’s just Lord Mensa. He has his sights on something, you can be sure of that. What, I’d be interested to know. He would never be so deliberately rude.’
At the entrance, the darkness made it hard to see, so Aurek took her hand to lead her inside. Deep inside the cavern, they found Lord Mensa digging around for bugs in the rocks. He glanced for only a second at them before filling up his bag with the bugs he’d collected. Caitlin thought him to be maybe in his early forties, as intense steel grey eyes peered out from an unruly hairy face. The solid build suggested he kept his physique in tiptop shape and somehow, now facing them, he gave off a vibe that left her feeling at ease around him.
‘Lord Mensa; and you are?’ He put his hand out to her in a friendly greeting manner.
�
��Caitlin Warner.’ She stepped towards him and shook his hand.
‘She prefers to be called Glow Girl,’ Aurek added.
‘Well, I can certainly see why – for you are just glowing.’
‘The fresh air and warm weather is just what I needed.’
‘Glad you are enjoying my home world.’
She smiled at the kindly gentleman. ‘Yes, I’m having the best time. Aurek’s had much patience teaching me to hunt.’
‘And knowing my boy, no doubt there were plenty of entertaining stories.’
He eyed Aurek. ‘You call him Aurek; interesting. Good nickname for the lug. I kept telling him to cut those locks off so he can get himself a real woman, but he won’t listen to me. Maybe you can convince him, Glow.’
‘First impressions always count so please excuse me when I disagree. I think his locks make him look hot.’
Aurek stretched and tilted his nose up. ‘The girl’s got good taste.’
Lord Mensa scoffed and laughed. ‘Honesty is refreshing and very rare these days but a little misplaced on him.’ He threw the hunting bag over his shoulder and picked up a rifle.
‘Where are you heading?’ Aurek asked.
‘I’m heading down the valley to the South Mountain I want to see if I can track that big grizzly we went after last visit. He’s been harassing the townsfolk, killing the stock.’
Caitlin didn’t miss the show of disappointment in Aurek. To hunt something so dangerous and big, he would be in his element. She slipped her arm through his. ‘We’d like company if you don’t mind ours. I’m sure you wouldn’t mind a couple of extra hands to help trap that old bear.’ She felt Aurek squeeze into her, excitedly, showing her could think of nothing better than to join in the hunt.
‘Sure!’ Lord Mensa’s optimistic look was no surprise to, Caitlin. She had guessed he was about to invite them anyway. She eyed him, there was something astute about him, maybe he had even planned to be here to catch up with Aurek and get his help. He would surely know Aurek would take me to see the sunrise this morning to begin our second day.