Alien storm, p.7
Alien Storm, page 7
There were mountains.
Breathtaking mountains.
The setting sun shattered, exploding into millions of crystalline shards against the gorgeous peaks of high, sharp stone. Where the light hit the stone brightest, I could see that the mountains were mostly blue in colour, and would likely appear blue during daylight. But the warm, deep sunset turned many cracks and crags into other colours – shades of glimmering copper, indigo-spattered gold, silver-shadowed pink.
The sight wasn’t just beautiful. It was nostalgic in a deeply painful way.
I didn’t realize how much I missed these, I thought, sucking in a sharp breath and holding it, my eyes burning. Growing up in Alberta had meant many weekend and summer trips into the mountains with my mom, especially after my dad left when I was six. We’d used those trips as an escape. It was us against the world, and the mountains had been like our fortress.
We’d stopped going out there when I was in high school and she got too sick.
And then she’d died.
And I never went back.
I slammed my back against the seat, not willing to deal with the onslaught of emotion.
“Alright?” Fiona asked from her seat directly across from mine, her brows furrowed in concern under her short, blunt bangs.
I nodded firmly, clearing my throat. “Yeah.”
“Alright everybody, we’re landing,” Valeria called from the front end of the shuttle.
I gripped the edges of my seat as we descended, but there was no real reason to be nervous. The descent was smooth and steady, and the landing only a slight jostle.
“Alright, everyone. Here’s the deal,” Valeria said, rising from her seat and striding into the main area where the rest of us sat. “Grim and Tok will go out first just to make sure nothing iffy is going on out there. Both mountain Gahns have agreed to us being here, but you never know, and I don’t want somebody getting skewered by an arrow the second we step out of here.”
The other girls and I cast grim looks at each other. The Sea Sand warriors stood, preparing for their instructions.
“Once Grim and Tok make sure the area is clear, the Sea Sand men will go out next. We’re in a large valley, and we’ll be setting up camp in the caves at the base of the Vrika’s mountain which I’ve landed next to. So, the warriors will go scope out the caves, make sure there’s nothing nasty waiting for us, while I hang back with you guys. Then, only once everything looks safe, we’ll all go out together.”
We all nodded our understanding. At least, us human girls did. The aliens made various grunts and tail twitches of agreement with the plan.
Valeria opened the shuttle’s door and Grim and Tok lugged their huge bodies out. Tok could barely get his shoulders through the doorway, but somehow he managed it. I unbuckled myself from my seat, standing and shaking out my stiff legs. My friends did the same. Taylor jumped out of her seat and hustled over to our area to stand with us four. Even once she was with us, though, she kept her eyes glued to the dark rectangle of the open door, no doubt wanting to make sure her mate was alright.
Valeria kept her eyes trained out there, too, a pistol ready in her hand that I hadn’t noticed her draw. But it seemed she wouldn’t need to use it. Grim leaned into the doorway, bumping his snout affectionately to her temple.
“All is clear,” he growled.
“Alright, you guys next,” Valeria said, nodding at the Sea Sand warriors. They leapt into action, as if sitting for as long as they had had been some kind of torture.
This time things took a little longer, presumably since the group was now exploring a cave system instead of just securing the main open area of the valley. But about 15 minutes later, Ghan Fallo’s man Dalk returned to let us know that everything looked good out there.
We all trundled into a line behind Valeria and then followed her out of the shuttle.
While the men had searched the area, the sun had almost entirely set. The mountains were no longer reflective and brightly glittering but shadow-stained, nearly black.
Our little human group dispersed tentatively, each of us taking a few steps and looking around in awe as the warriors continued to prowl the edges, looking for danger. My boots scuffed on the ground as I walked, and I looked down to see that the ground wasn’t just plain dirt or rock, but some kind of uniform stone that seemed smoother and more translucent, like thick, night-blackened ice.
We stood in a large valley, like Valeria had said. The flat area between the sloped sides of the mountains all around us was pretty large – large enough for our shuttle to land and have lots of room left over to spare.
“There’s the Vrika’s mountain and the caves we’ll be using,” Valeria called over. I glanced her way to find her gesturing into the dark entrance to an exceptionally tall mountain peak.
The Vrika’s mountain...
I tilted my head back, craning my neck to try to see all the way up to the top. But I couldn’t. I wonder if it’s up there, watching us right now...
I almost wanted to call up to it. To tell it that it had made a mistake with this whole mates thing. There was no way Gahn Errok and I could ever mesh well as a couple, and even outside of that, I still wasn’t sold that the mate bond was a real, reliable thing. It certainly seemed real enough in the other couples I’d observed so far...
But how could it ever feel real for me?
I’d already watched one marriage crumble before my eyes. My own father had left my mother, had left us. If I couldn’t even rely on the love of a parent to be steady, how could I ever rely on the arrogant proclamations of some alien mountain king?
Whatever. He’s not here right now. Don’t let him take over your thoughts.
I sighed. For someone who’d vowed not to care about Gahn Errok, I certainly seemed to be spending a lot of my precious time and energy thinking about him.
That ends now. We have work to do.
I walked over to Valeria, 100% committed to doing my part to get our new settlement ready.
“Fuck me, it’s gone bitterly cold out, eh?” Fiona said as she jogged over. She stopped next to Valeria and me, rubbing her hands up and down the sleeves of her jacket viciously.
She was right. It got fairly cold at night in the Sea Sands. But it was definitely colder here at night than it was back there. I made a mental note of that, already internalizing the climate and weather differences between the two regions.
Nasrin and Tilly drifted over to us, too, followed by Taylor and Tok. Grim came to stand beside his mate.
“It’s been a long day of travel. We can just get set up to sleep for tonight if you guys want,” Valeria said. She leaned gratefully into Grim’s side and he wrapped a huge red arm around her.
Fiona gave a moan of complaint. “Ugh, I don’t know why but I was picturing the most beautiful hot springs would be right here, ready and waiting for us. I feel like that’s the only way I’ll be able to get warm right now.”
“There are hot springs in my mountains.”
We all jumped, turning to find the source of the new voice in our midst. The Sea Sand men drew weapons. Grim and Tok stepped protectively in front of their mates.
What the hell? Who is here?
The mountain accent had been the same as Gahn Errok’s, but the voice itself was entirely different. When I saw all the warriors looking upward, I looked up, too.
About six metres off the ground, a smooth ledge jutted out from a nearby peak. On that ledge, something huge stepped out from the shadows and into the silvered light of the asteroids and stars.
It was a braxilk.
And a rider.
“Ah. Gahn Thaleo,” Valeria said. She relaxed slightly and stepped out from behind Grim, but kept her expression guarded. “We didn’t notice your arrival.”
“I do not make excessive noise a habit,” he replied simply.
I felt my brows rise at that. The Sea Sand and Bitter Sea men basically had super-powered hearing. The fact none of them had heard this huge Gahn land on the ledge was pretty shocking. That wasn’t a case of not making excessive noise. That was a whole other level. That was near-perfect silence of movement.
And now, it was near-perfect stillness.
Gahn Thaleo sat atop his braxilk like he’d been carved from stone, like he’d been there for a hundred years and would remain there for hundreds more. I shivered, and it wasn’t just from the cold. It was knowing that his impossibly still, searching gaze was on us.
I gasped as that stillness broke. I didn’t see or hear any sort of command from Gahn Thaleo, but the braxilk leaped, its huge, heavy body carving a graceful line through the air as it descended. Its wings carried it easily down to the ground where it landed. Much like when I’d seen Gahn Errok on his mount, I was overwhelmed with the urge to leap up onto the creature’s back and ride it myself.
Gahn Errok’s words echoed in my mind. Once you are in the Deep Sky, you will ride no other mount but mine.
Why was he in my thoughts yet again?! I thought I said I was going to keep him out of there!
I forced my attention back to the scene at hand. Gahn Thaleo dismounted smoothly, landing on the ground in a soft crouch before rising and striding over.
I didn’t need Gahn Errok here beside Thaleo to know that the two mountain Gahns would be an epic study in contrasts. Where Gahn Errok was quick and loud-mouthed and haughty, Gahn Thaleo was... Exactly none of those things. Every slow but powerful step he took was an art of quiet, calculated precision. There was no lifted chin, no imperious gaze sweeping over us with disdain.
If Gahn Errok was a tempest, a swirling storm of rage and desire and pride, Gahn Thaleo was a deeply rooted immovable mountain.
As if to further exemplify the metaphor, Gahn Thaleo settled into that stony stillness once again, standing before our group. The silver light licked down his hide, letting us get a good look at him for the first time.
Even his face was the opposite of Gahn Errok’s. Where Errok’s was rather refined, almost annoyingly angelic with high cheekbones and full lips, Gahn Thaleo’s was broader, tougher, more serious and more mature. A harsh scar lanced down one side of his face, through his eyebrow, eye area, and into his cheek. One shockingly bright silver streak of hair fell along the side of his face, sprouting from the place his scar began at the edge of his scalp. Unlike Gahn Errok, or any of the other warriors with us now, he wore no blades. His only weapon was a massive bow strung across his chest, and the strap that likely led to a quiver on his back.
The only movement coming from this mountain Gahn was that of his sight stars. The movement was slightly asymmetrical, I realized, the sparking sight stars of his scarred eye moving slightly slower than the other eye. But that didn’t stop his gaze from penetrating us with deeply intelligent judgment. What that judgment was, it was impossible to say. His face was entirely unreadable. The only thing that seemed to give anything away was when his gaze suddenly snagged on someone in our group, staying there for a beat longer than was natural.
I subtly glanced to the side to see who’d caught his attention.
Nasrin.
His gaze didn’t stay there much longer, because Valeria spoke.
“It’s good to see you, Gahn Thaleo. I hope you and your people are doing well.”
She gave a little nod that was almost like a small bow.
Right. This guy is basically royalty out here. This wasn’t like dealing with the same old Sea Sand Gahns I’d gotten used to for months, and it wasn’t the same as Gahn Errok whom I now felt completely comfortable insulting. This was a whole new political entity to deal with.
Following Valeria’s lead, I did a small bow, too. Tilly and Taylor followed suit, and Fiona did a weirdly awkward curtsy. The only human who didn’t make a show of respect was Nasrin, who regarded the Gahn coolly. If he noticed her lack of special greeting, he didn’t remark on it.
“I will not raise my tail to him,” came a hissing voice from our group.
I turned to find Dalk scowling fiercely at Gahn Thaleo.
That’s right. Dalk, Vaxilkai, Oxriel, and Bariok had all been held captive by Gahn Thaleo for a few days.
“Good,” came Gahn Thaleo’s reply. “I am not interested in false displays of respect. Give me something real, or give me nothing.”
“Oh, I can give you something real,” Dalk muttered, reaching for a blade. But Tok’s huge, golden hand clamped down on his wrist, stopping him.
“Enough, Dalk,” snapped Valeria. “We’re allies now. Yes, you guys were held captive here. But Gahn Thaleo also made sure your wounds were healed and that you were taken care of, correct?”
Dalk ripped his hand out of Tok’s grip, his expression murderous. When he didn’t reply, Bariok did.
“Yes. That is true.”
“Don’t make me regret bringing you out here,” Valeria said, fixing Dalk with a hard stare. Grim loomed beside her, a silent reminder that every word she uttered would be backed up with his own claws.
Dalk grunted and appeared to calm down slightly. Valeria watched him menacingly for another long moment before she turned to Gahn Thaleo once more.
“Sorry about that. It’s been a long day,” she muttered.
Gahn Thaleo’s tail twitched to acknowledge her words. Even that gesture was perfectly restrained. Usually, the movement was a lot more obvious.
“This is why I have come,” he said. “To greet your party and to invite you to recuperate for the night in my mountain. Take your evening meal with us,” he said. His eyes flicked to Fiona for a moment, his next words echoing her sad moan from a few minutes ago. “And make use of the hot springs.”
“I don’t know,” Valeria said, chewing her lip. “We have a lot to do here.”
“It’s not all going to get done in one night, is it? Wouldn’t it be better to have some hot food and a soak and a decent kip and then get started when it’s light out?” Fiona cried. She lurched forward and grabbed onto Valeria’s arm. “Please, oh fearless leader. I beg you.”
I snorted, shaking my head at my friend’s dramatic begging. But honestly, her arguments made sense. We weren’t going to get much done tonight, anyway. We were already tired and hungry and cold. Plus, we’d need to get to know our allies better and explore their territory, anyway.
There was another reason I wanted to go, too.
That reason being that Gahn Errok would probably be super pissed off. If he didn’t want me riding any other mount than his out here, something told me that going to another Gahn’s mountain was ten times worse.
Well, good. He doesn’t control me.
“I vote we go,” I said firmly, decision made.
“Me too,” Tilly and Taylor replied in unison.
Valeria cast a questioning look at Nasrin, who shrugged.
“Fine by me,” she said.
“Alright, then,” Valeria said. “We’ll go. With a few conditions.”
Fiona groaned, but Valeria held up a hand to get her to stop.
“Name them,” Gahn Thaleo said.
“We’ll take our ship and bring our weapons,” Valeria said. “I don’t want us relying solely on your men and your...”
“Braxilk,” I whispered to her.
“Braxilk, to get in and out of your territory. Plus, Grim and Tok are probably too heavy to ride on one with one of your warriors, anyway, and I’d want to bring them for our own protection.”
Gahn Thaleo remained silent for a long moment. Finally, his tail did that small, subtle twitch again.
“I agree to your terms.”
“Alright, then,” Valeria said. She swirled her index finger in a tight circle in the air beside her head, then pointed at the shuttle. “Everybody back on the ship!”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Stephanie
In the end, it was decided that Dalk would stay behind to keep the caves and valley clear of any predators or other danger while we were gone. He was still pissed about being held captive and had no interest in going to Gahn Thaleo’s mountain. Bariok and Vaxilkai were only marginally less angry about going back to that mountain, but they kept their emotions on a tighter leash. “I’d let you two stay behind, too,” Valeria had told them, “but then we’d only have Grim, Tok, and Zoren. That’s only three warriors to six human women. Gahn Thaleo is our ally, but still, that’s a risk. Not one I’m willing to take.” Vaxilkai and Bariok had grunted their agreement, and so we all trundled back into the shuttle. Well, all of us but Dalk.
By the time we’d all gotten into our seats on the shuttle, Gahn Thaleo was long gone. He’d taken off immediately after the decision about us going to his mountain had been made.
“I don’t trust that guy,” Nasrin said as we buckled in.
“Why? Because he looked like he was trying to see straight inside your brain there for a minute?” Fiona said. She’d clearly noticed what I had – the snag of Gahn Thaleo’s attention on Nasrin’s face.
“Exactly,” she said.
“Do you think he’s your...” Tilly asked. She didn’t need to finish the sentence for us to know what she meant.
I frowned.
“I don’t know,” I said. “Have you guys ever known a Gahn, or any warrior, who didn’t try to instantly find and claim his mate the second he got his mate vision? Buroudei, Taliok, Baldor, Kor, even those two,” I said glancing over at Grim and Tok. “Hell, Grim literally kidnapped Valeria.”
“That was a misunderstanding,” Valeria piped up from the cockpit as we ascended.
“OK, but still. Kor searched the desert endlessly for Zoey, desperate to find her. Baldor literally launched a huge attack on our settlement, ready to go to war to get Theresa.”
“Yeah, I see your point. That’s different from just waiting for us to show up here and then being all like, ‘Fancy a bite and a bath at my place?’ kinda thing,” Fiona replied. Her brown eyes narrowed, a wicked grin splitting her face. “I see you left our least favourite alien gym bro off your list of guys who went batty trying to claim their mates.”
“Ugh. Don’t remind me,” I groaned.
Fiona chuckled, then turned her attention back to Nasrin.
