Xefe remembered his swift prayer from earlier, for a quick death.Could I have been wishing for Hermosa’s demise?He threw the Verder across the room and roared. He dove through the portal. The ghosts welcomed him, shot him up and over the cliff. The high arc gave him enough time to pivot and land on his feet. What he encountered made the organs in his body seize—frozen in terror.
A huge male brutoo towered in front of him. Xefe’s head only came to its shoulder. Its purple scales glinted off the searing sun as it dug for its target. Xefe understood with a deep knowing it was Hermosa under those rocks, hisalmax, his reason for breathing. She didn’t have much time before it reached her. Xefe roared and issued his challenge. The brutoo whipped around soquickly, it was hard to track with his eyes. But Xefe was ready; he would fight with his last breath to save his woman.
The brutoo roared and leaped in the air, his two right paws slamming down. Xefe pulled on every ounce of Oro to evade the death blow. He threw himself to the side, and the brutoo flew by. Xefe took advantage of the near miss and jumped on the beast’s back. It had deadly spikes lining its spine, similar to his own. He latched on and held on for his life. “Run, Hermosa!” he shouted into the wind.
The beast fought, turning its head almost ninety degrees to slash him with teeth as long as his arm. Xefe took his staff and released the electrified rope but struggled to get it from the device.
The brutoo bucked, almost dislodging him, but he latched the end of the rope back onto his staff and pulled. The line cinched in until it was too tight to breathe. Xefe stood on its back, jumped off, and pulled the rope as he fell.
In one fell swoop, its head slid off, its eyes still blinking as blood flooded the area.
Xefe rushed to Hermosa, gently pulling her from the crevasse. Her beautiful face looked mottled, in varying shades of black and blue. Her lids were squeezed shut.
“Hermosa, open your eyes.” Xefe needed to see the amber brown surrounded in gold. When she watched him, saw him, every cell in his body came alive.
“Xefe?” she whispered, her hands shaky as she wiped the blood from her cheeks. “You came?”
“Always.”
“I swear it wasn’t my fault this time.” She tried to sit up and whimpered in pain. Giant sobs wracked her body and tears streamed from her eyes. “T-that thing was really scary.” She cried harder. “I have so much to tell you. And I never thought I’d see you again.”
“Every time I leave you alone, something happens.” He gently scooped her into his arms. “That means we can never be parted again.”
She continued to cry, her entire body seizing.
“I have you.” Xefe worried about how he would heal her. She needed her strength for the Great Race tomorrow, but he’d used the last of hisGlrtsstllllorogggto numb himself. Yet, the supreme would take it as a personal slight if she were too injured to compete. “I need to find more Oro.” Could he break into the supreme’s supplies? If he were caught, it would mean instant death, but Hermosa was more important.
“I have some.” She pointed to a vial peeking out from the puddle of blood. “Did it break? Is it okay?”
“No, it is intact.” Xefe picked it up and studied the vial and dispenser. “Where did you get this?”
“I didn’t steal it, I swear.” Slowly, she wrapped her arms around his neck. “I used a little bit of it to repair my lung. That green bitch broke my ribs, but I need to save the rest.”
Fury slammed through Xefe. “I should have choked her to death when I had a chance.”
“You were choking her? For me?” More tears streamed down her face. “That is so romantic.” Her voice softened. “I guarded the Oro. I have to give it to the girls, and I need it to kill Freckles.”
Again, with that Aavvee. “I understand your need for revenge, but there is more you need to pay attention to. The Great Race is tomorrow.” He’d never been so grateful for a vial ofGlrtsstlllloroggg. “We must be quiet for a little longer. It is not safe out here. This is hunting grounds for the brutoo, and his mate will come along to enact revenge.”
She nodded and closed her eyes.
Xefe waited a moment to ensure she was conscious, but her head was tucked into his neck, and her arms remained tautaround him. He moved with stealth, following the path of the mountain. He hadn’t traveled here often, but as soon as he found a portal with access into the mountain, he would know how to plot a course back to his place. He accessed his communicator. “Loxo. Report.”
“The earthers are well. I will stay with them this evening to ensure their safety. How is Hermosa? Does she live?” All of the chatter around Loxo faded.
Xefe understood they all awaited his answer. “She lives.” Cheers exploded in the background of the call.
“Excellent, First. Do you bring her here?”
“No. We will reconvene tomorrow, before the race.”
Xefe moved quickly, spotting a portal and praying it led him back into the tunnel. He heard a howl of a brutoo and dove through the swirling gateway that hovered a few feet off the ground. Ghosts surrounded him, caressing Hermosa’s hair, whispering in his ear. He’d never heard them before. It must be because of his earther. Perhaps, it wasn’t only her mouth that was magical.
Please take us back inside the mountain. I want to take her home.
To his shock, they were deposited on the same level as his floor, into a familiar portal only a few doors down from his entrance.Impossible.He’d used that portal a million times and had never ended up outside.
The rumors are true. The portals are alive. Thank you.
