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  The silent Tish stuck near Vala, who insisted on leading, and Lance held hands with his sister, Penny. But Janai’s growing concern was for Blal’k. The Ronarian boy was quiet most of the time now and only spoke when someone asked him a question. His pale green face looked drawn. His head ridges were dull and he kept his vertical eyelids partially closed for long periods. Sarah’s disappearance had taken more of a toll on him than Janai had realized. He and Sarah had been good friends before she had rescued their camp. She was beginning to understand that perhaps their relationship bordered on a brother and sister type of love.

  She glanced at Krav’n. I would be devastated if I lost him.

  A gentle hand landed on her shoulder and Ash’s soft voice resonated in her ear. “Give him time.”

  He’d done that too many times for mere coincidence. Granted, her body language would give away some of what she was thinking, but he was just too accurate too often. Janai turned on him. “I wish you’d stop doing that. I know you mean well but you’re invading my privacy, Ash.”

  He looked stunned. Irritation colored his voice when he said, “Look, if you don’t want me to respond then stop telling me things.”

  Janai opened her mouth and clamped it shut again. He didn’t even realize he was hearing her thoughts and not her spoken words. “Ash, I’m not talking. I’m only thinking. But you seem to hear my thoughts as though I were saying them to you.”

  His eyes widened. “I—I’m sorry, Janai. I had no idea. I thought you were whispering to me.” Was that hope she heard in his voice?

  She felt bad for confronting him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “It’s all right, really. I guess you need time to distinguish between the two and block our thoughts from your own. It must be very confusing.”

  “I guess. But I don’t hear anyone except you. And those words and images like the ones I got at the rockdome.”

  She fought down elation at that intimacy and thought a moment. “Well, we’re both from the same world. Maybe you’re not able to receive thoughts from other races.”

  “Maybe. But your healing works on the others.”

  She had no explanation for him other than, “Maybe you’ll hear the others as you get stronger. Guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”

  “Yeah, but I hope I don’t make the same mistake with Vala that I did with you. She’d probably beat me senseless.” They both laughed and the others looked back at them.

  “Telling secrets isn’t nice,” Penny said, sounding a little hurt.

  “You’re right,” Janai said. “But this is about Ash’s mind gift.”

  The little, redheaded girl shrugged. “Oh, I guess it’s okay then.” Lance chuckled and tousled his sister’s hair. She playfully batted his hand away.

  Janai kept an eye on the moons as they traveled. The large ones were almost overhead, now, and the small moon was just rising. With all three in the night sky, they would have a little more light. More light meant faster travel.

  Her thoughts turned to Sarah and she wondered where the girl was now. Still in the rockdome or working in another labor camp, or worse. She couldn’t help feeling guilty for the harsh way she’d treated Sarah when Vala was injured. The skinny girl’s hurt look filled her memory, those tearful blue eyes and matted blonde hair as Sarah huddled in the hideout, crying. She wished she could take back everything she’d said. Her throat knotted up and she fought back tears. A familiar hand landed on her left shoulder. Ash didn’t say anything, though. Probably trying not to invade her privacy.

  Janai turned to him. “If Sarah dies, I’ll never forgive myself.”

  “You can’t think about that.” He put his arm around her, and she leaned into him as they walked. “Sarah’s a strong person when she has to be.”

  Janai didn’t think that was true. Sarah seemed to rely on others for almost everything. Except when she was telling stories. The girl could enthrall anyone with her talent for speaking to groups. Perhaps she would find the strength to survive. Janai hoped so.

  “You have to stop blaming yourself. It wasn’t your fault. It wasn’t anybody’s fault.”

  Except the Morgee. I hate them more than I’ve ever hated anyone or anything in my life.

  Ash nodded that he heard her thoughts again, and she kicked a rock out of her way as she looked ahead at Blal’k. A small hand squeezed her own, and she glanced down at her right to Krav’n. He looked so much like Blal’k in the pale moonslight, except his head ridges shimmered when the dim light hit them. Janai gently squeezed the little boy’s hand and forced a smile. He smiled back, released his grip, and then wedged his small body between her and Ash, forcing them apart. The two laughed nervously and each took hold of one of Krav’n’s webbed hands. The boy seemed satisfied as he kicked at rocks and twigs along their path.

  Something skidded across in front of them and Vala’s earflaps shifted. Blal’k drew his slingshot, but by the time he had his weapon in place, the creature was gone. He kept the slingshot in his hand as they traveled.

  Janai grew hungry and the position of the moons meant that lunchtime was near. She silently wished Blal’k luck in killing a jumper. She was getting tired of sour-grass and roots, and the slave bread was gone.

  About another hour passed when they stopped. Roots and sour-grass were to be the delicacy again. They took a brief break to relieve themselves. Blal’k passed out the cold food and they continued to walk while eating. Of the three water cylinders and six, smaller jumper bladders, all but one and a half cylinders were still full of the precious drink. Janai just hoped they could find another water source before they ran out. All they could do was look for the twin boulders that marked the next water source and hope for the best.

  Suddenly, Lance let out a yell and Penny screamed. Vala forced the group to back up.

  “What is it?” Janai called above the noise.

  “Snappers,” Vala said, hopping about and swatting at something with one of her arrows. “They’re under those rocks.” She pointed to a cluster of rocks off to the right of the trail.

  Janai watched in horror as dozens of the small, spiny, six-legged creatures headed their direction. Razor sharp mouths opened and snapped shut repeatedly in search of food. They were slow, had no eyes, and Janai wasn’t sure how they hunted, but they were very effective. Once a snapper took hold of its prey, it didn’t let go. The creature just kept chewing, burying itself further into the body of a victim. The snapper’s body could be pulled off, but the head remained and eventually grew another body. The only way to save a victim was to either cut the snapper out or cut off the body part. Janai had heard stories of these creatures but this was the first time she’d actually seen any. They were all too visible in the moonslight and the sight of the spiny bodies made her hairs stand on end.

  Blal’k fired rocks at the creatures and Janai yelled for him to give up his light-fire weapon. The others grabbed sticks and rocks in an effort to fight off the pack of snappers. Blal’k fished the black cylindrical object out of his pack and tossed it to Janai. She charged the weapon up, aimed at the creatures, and cooked them one by one. But they kept coming. She fired a few more times and then her weapon went dead.

  “No!” Janai banged the light-fire weapon on the palm of her other hand. She raised her arm to fire again. Still nothing. In frustration, she hurled the weapon at the creatures.

  “There’re too many,” Blal’k yelled. “Run!” He ran down the path and the others blindly followed him. But he halted suddenly after just a few feet.

  “Blal’k!” Janai looked over her shoulder at the advancing snappers. Then she saw why he had stopped. Ahead of them was a jumper covered by a horde of the feeding black creatures.

  “What do we do now?” Lance said, huddled against Penny. “They’re everywhere.”

  Ash turned to Janai. “Snappers can’t climb.”

  “Up here,” a voice called from behind them. “Come on.” Janai and the others turned to see an Aknidean boy standing on a large, flat
boulder just off the trail.

  “Move!” Ash yelled, grabbing Janai and Krav’n and shoving them in the direction of the boulder.

  The older ones lifted the three younger ones up to the strange boy first. Together they got Vala and Lance up. Then Janai. Ash and Blal’k were arguing over who was to be next.

  “Just get up here,” Janai ordered. She stretched out on her stomach, and offered her hand down to one of them.

  The snappers were slowly advancing on the two remaining boys. Ash shoved Blal’k up to reach Janai’s hand, and she and the strange boy pulled him to safety. Ash was the only one not on the boulder, now. Janai, fear settling in her gut, offered her hand to him. The stranger offered his own. Ash jumped and grabbed onto the stranger’s fingertips. Janai reached down and tried to get hold of Ash’s clothes but he slipped and fell to the ground.

  15 ~ Stranded

  He stumbled and rolled onto his back right next to a snapper. The creature immediately latched onto his pack. He got to his feet, frantically untied the pack, and tried to shake the creature off with no luck.

  “Leave it!” the stranger yelled.

  Ash threw his pack down and the other snappers went after it. He jumped at the boulder again, this time getting a firm grip on the stranger’s arm. Janai grabbed his leg as he swung himself up. Together, they pulled him to safety.

  Janai, clutching Ash, looked down and could no longer see his pack in the moonslight. She saw nothing but a mound of snappers and a few stray ones crawling around the base of the boulder. “You all right?”

  “I am now.” Ash peered over the edge. “But the rations I was carrying are gone.” He sighed.

  She studied him a moment. “How do you know snappers can’t climb?”

  Ash simply smiled and tapped his head.

  “Looks like we’re stuck here until morning,” the stranger said as he gazed at the feeding snappers.

  “Isn’t there any way around them?” Lance shifted his weight and scratched his arm. Penny sat close to him.

  “Snappers are night creatures. So, until one of the suns comes up, we’re stuck.”

  Vala moaned, and Janai turned to see her digging pain herbs from her pack. “Vala?” She carefully inched her way to the Aknidean girl. “Your arm’s not infected again, is it?” She reached out to remove the bandages.

  “No,” Vala said, through clenched teeth. “This itching is making me crazy.” Janai studied the girl then broke out laughing. “I’d like to know why you find this so funny?” Vala gave her a steady gaze.

  “I’m sorry.” Janai sat on her heels and quickly shifted her weight when her injured ankle protested. “It’s just that itching usually means a wound is healing.” She took the girl’s arm in her hands and carefully put pressure in different places and asked Vala if she felt anything.

  “Ow,” Vala finally said, after a series of nods.

  Janai took the injured hand in her own. “Squeeze.” She felt a hesitant yet robust grip from her patient and she smiled. “Good, Vala. You can relax now.” She studied the girl’s eyes, but the moonslight was too dim for her to tell how much color had come back to them. “You’re strength is returning, and I think you may get use of your hand back.” She offered a sideways glance. “Provided you do everything I tell you.”

  Vala’s facial expression never changed but Janai could imagine the subtle shifts in her eyes. “All right, Healer.”

  Janai smiled. Although she felt a bit guilty being addressed that way, she was still proud the others had accepted her as a healer. On Kritine, she would still be an apprentice and wouldn’t earn the title for several years.

  The stranger turned to Vala. “I’m Gryden.” He shifted an earflap in her direction.

  Vala introduced herself and the others to the new Aknidean boy.

  “What’re you doing here, Gryden?” Janai said as she studied him. She couldn’t make out the age rings on his wrist, but he looked to be a little younger than Vala and seemed in good health. He had a bow, similar to the Aknidean girl’s, slung over his shoulder, along with a small pack. The jumpsuit he wore was tight on him and she guessed he’d been on his own a while.

  “The Morgee attacked my group after we were rescued. We ran and I got separated. Later, I went back to find them but couldn’t. So, I decided to search for the free-zone myself. Then I could become a runner and maybe help the others. I remembered the general direction from the map we had but haven’t had much luck.”

  “We have a map and you’re welcome to join us.” Janai motioned to his weapon. “We could use another hunter, especially with Vala injured.” The boy nodded his acceptance. “Good.”

  After sharing some water, they huddled together on the large boulder and dozed for the next few hours. Janai awoke to the gray of dawn. She looked out toward the path they’d traveled the previous night and there were no signs of the snappers. There wasn’t much left of Ash’s pack, either, just a few shreds of material and bits of animal skin. Janai gently moved Krav’n’s head off her lap. She was tightening the vine on her shoe skins when the others began to stir. Her ankle was stiff and slightly sore and she rubbed at it.

  There were moans and grunts from the children as they stretched bodies that had slept on cold hard rock. Janai rubbed her left shoulder. She had chosen to sleep in a sitting position and had evidently leaned against a rock during the night. Her shoulder felt bruised and tender. Most of the others didn’t seem to be in much better shape. They were used to sleeping on the ground, which Janai thought to be hard until this morning. Even her sleeping skin hadn’t been much of a cushion for her backside.

  The only ones who didn’t seem bothered by the sleeping arrangements were the three youngest. Although, Janai couldn’t help smiling when she saw the imprint of a vine rope across Penny’s cheek. She studied the little Earth girl, who was beginning to put on some weight. Her entire group was beginning to look healthy.

  Janai stood at her full height on the boulder, the pain in her ankle reminding her to chew on some herbs. She rummaged through her sinsabe, locating some and popped a few into her mouth while she studied the area. The path they’d been following wasn’t an official trail, just directions on a map marked by unusual trees, brushes or shrubbery. Rock formations were also popular marker choices used on the map. Anything natural that kept the Morgee from getting suspicious. The brush had begun to grow thicker as they wound their way around the base of the mountains. There were taller trees that gave off more shade. The trees helped conceal them from the Morgee but they also kept other things hidden. Janai wondered how often they would run into snappers, or perhaps something even more dangerous.

  They’d been traveling east toward the rising moons, which had already set, and now the suns were coming up. Janai searched the eastern direction and couldn’t see more than a few hundred feet. In fact, that was about as far as she could see in any direction. The height of the boulder gave her an advantage and she guessed that from now on, they’d have to send someone up the trees if they wanted any kind of view of the landscape.

  “There must be water somewhere,” Gryden said as he studied one of the water cylinders. “This is very lush.” He indicated the landscape. “I was searching for some last night before the snappers distracted me.”

  “I hope you’re right.” Janai secretly wished they would find water soon. “All right, everyone, let’s pack up and get back on the trail.” She began gathering her things. “We need to find shelter.” She tied her pack on and helped Krav’n with his. “We can eat along the way.”

  After Vala’s bandages were changed and Janai had re-wrapped her own foot, the group helped each other down from the boulder and set out, keeping wary eyes out for any snappers that had decided not to hide when the suns came up. There were no signs of the spiny, black creatures and they began to relax a little. They agreed that Vala would lead the group and the new boy, Gryden, had taken up Blal’k’s place next to her. The Aknidean girl trusted Gryden and that was enough for Janai.


  The two Aknideans conversed softly with one another while listening with extended earflaps for danger. Blal’k didn’t seem to mind Vala giving her attention to Gryden. Janai guessed the Ronarian boy was still thinking about Sarah. The silent Tish had her hand in Vala’s good one and seemed interested in the older girl’s conversation with the new boy.

  Ash had taken Penny’s pack from her, but she carried the partially carved doll that her brother had started. “I’m gonna name her Sarah,” Penny said as they walked among the brush and tall trees. She turned to Janai and scrunched her small freckled nose. “That all right?”

  Janai gave the little girl a smile. “Sure, Penny. That’s fine.”

  Tish broke free from Vala’s grip and skipped up to Penny. She pointed to the doll then turned to Lance and pointed to herself.

  “That’s Penny’s doll,” Lance quietly told her.

  Tish looked around and picked up a stick. She took her find to Lance and repeated her gesture.

  “Oh, you want a doll, too.” Lance laughed.

  Tish jumped up and down, nodding her head and smiling. Stained teeth stood out against her dark skin, several larger than the rest.

  “Okay. I’m almost finished with Penny’s, then I’ll start one for you.”

  Tish was satisfied. She skipped up to Vala, and hooked a hand back into the Aknidean girl’s good one, while swinging her stick in the other.

  ****

  After an hour or two of uneventful travel and checking positions on the map, Vala halted the group. Her earflaps extended fully and her body went rigid.

  “What is it?” Ash said.

  “There’s something ahead of us. Through those trees.” She pointed to a clump of thick trees several hundred feet in the direction they were traveling.

  “You sure?” Janai stepped up beside the Aknideans, limping slightly.

  “She’s right,” Gryden said. “I hear it, too.” He had his earflaps extended and seemed to be concentrating on something.