Chapter 17 - Just in Time...
"Rafe... If we get out of this alive... I'm going to... ummm... be very VERY happy."
Ryne could barely hear Sly's comment. It wasn't that the microphone in his ear was any softer... but that his body was shaking an rattling so violently that everything seemed like a slur of speech, barely recognizable as such.
"Don't worry, everything's under control." Rafe said, as calm as he could be in a situation like this
"Yeah, that's what I'm worried about."
All that could be seen through the forward viewport was flame, licking its way across the whole nose of the ship, trying in vain to consume it. It wasn't the fire that worried him. He could control and manipulate the fire if he set his mind to it. It was the falling. Or more accurately; the sudden stop at the end of the fall... that and the not knowing when they were going to hit. Jerem knew. He was the one watching the monitors, telling Rafe at what angle he should point the ship. But he wasn't making any public announcements of when. Ryne wanted to strangle him.
Ryne hazarded a glace over at Jay and Celeste, and found them both sitting almost calmly with their eyes closed. Only one of the two actually was. Jay was clutching to the armrests for dear life, praying to the moons with all the strength left in her.
Ryne suddenly lurched forward in his seat as they passed through the energy dome that contained the Silvite colony's atmosphere, losing much of their momentum. Apparently too much, for Rafe was now fighting with the control yokes desperately, trying to stop the aggressive spin they'd gone into.
For the first time, Ryne noticed that there was now gravity. because his insides were flipping about, threatening to spill out of him if pushed much longer. Thankfully, they weren't.
In a scene that gave him an incredible sense of deja vous, he saw the ground rushing up to meet them, and heard the loud thwacking sounds of some of the taller trees hitting the bottom of the ship. Suddenly, without warning, the nose of the ship caught something in the foliage, flipping the tail end up and the ship completely upside down. Ryne heard and felt something explode from behind him before all the lights and instruments in the cabin flickered off, the darkness that enveloped them reminding them all that they were on the dark side of the moon, or would have reminded them if any of them had their eyes open.
Finally, the masterpiece of Valuan engineering and ingenuity came to rest, belly up in the middle of a huge, dense forest on the surface of Arcadia's silver moon, completely ruined beyond repair.
It seemed to Ryne that the shaking continued long after the ship had come to a stop. But as he finally let himself relax, his arms hanging above his head, he realized it was just him. With one hand clutching firmly to the straps, Ryne pressed the central release button, his body falling to the ceiling below him. He had intended to hang on the straps and lower himself gently, but his grip had roved to be less than formidable.
Lying on his back, Ryne used what was left of his strength to take the glass helmet off, and take gasping breaths of air... fresh air that was now blowing through the many holes in the metal skin of the craft. He felt a rush of air hit his exposed face heard a soft thud as Jaycera came tumbling down after him, likewise freeing herself from the stuffy helmet, her hair a mess of black curls hanging over her head in a hopelessly tangled knot.
"Well..." She said between gasps of air, "We made it."
Ryne didn't say anything. He didn't think anything needed to be said. He just smiled weakly. He didn't even hear as the rest of the crew made their way out of their seats, joining them on the ceiling. He didn't even feel it when Jay rested her head in the junction of his shoulder and clung to his limp body. All he knew what that the darkness was coming for him again. And this time he met it with open arms.
******************************************
By the time Jaycera had awakened, she had totally forgotten where she was. All she knew what that she had slept dreamlessly... and for the first time in a long time, she felt like everything was going to be alright.
She could feel Ryne's warm breath on her head, teasing her hair. She smiled softly, even though the expression was slightly out of place as she remembered where she was... and worse, why she was here. But she didn't care. Not right now anyway. Thinking about it would only ruin the moment. All she wanted to do was forget and enjoy this little slice of peace and happiness while it lasted.
Contentedly she nuzzled her head on Ryne arm, almost feline like, and held him closer, seeking the comfort and feeling of rightness she'd found here. She knew she loved him... even though she could never explain nor understand it. In truth, she didn't want to understand it. Just know that it was.
Ryne stirred slightly, slowly coming to back to consciousness. Jay let him go, sitting up and sighing. Nothing good could ever last anymore. She hugged her knees to her chest, letting her mind wander away from where she was... back to lost homes, broken promises, and a little six year old girl trying to find her place in the world. Did she even know that place now? She shoved these thoughts away with a shake of her head.
"I trust you slept well."
Jay would have screamed and jumped out of her skin if she hadn't grown accustomed to the Silvite girl's tendency to startle her. Jaycera looked over at her and rolled her eyes. She didn't know if this was just the way she was or if she derived some sick kind of pleasure out of it. If it was the latter, she showed none of it on her face... which didn't really tell her anything.
However, she was surprised (and a little embarrassed) to find that everyone else was up as well, standing behind Celeste with their silver suits gone and their backs loaded with gear.
"Umm.. yeah I did actually..." She stammered, turning a light shade of red.
"I'll bet." Rafe scoffed, shifting the pack further up his shoulders. Ryne sat up, blinking his eyes furiously and rubbing the sleep sand out of the corners of his eyes, mumbling something incoherent.
"Y'know, that was quite possibly the cutest thing I ever saw." Wallin said, mock-serious to Jerem, who only smiled and shook his head.
"Well," He said finally, "Now that you two kids are up, we can get out of here before we get caught and probably killed."
This statement brought Ryne to full consciousness.
"How long have we been asleep?" He asked hurriedly.
"I figure about a couple of hours." Jerem said pointing at Celeste. "The native here's about the only one who stayed awake. She said we still have a little while before they come breathing down our necks."
"Why aren't they here already?"
"Do you have any clue how often space debris hits the surface of the moon?" Celeste interjected, taking over the technical aspects of the conversation. "They probably dismissed our landing as such."
"They why are they coming at all?"
Celeste shrugged casually. "Most of the smaller stuff gets deflected of the artificial atmosphere. They'll want to check out anything big enough and with enough momentum to punch through. It just isn't all that high on the list of priorities right now."
"Right." Ryne said, actually understanding her which was a rarity when she went into her speeches... which were also a rarity in themselves. He pushed himself up off the ceiling, giving Jay a hand up as well. "So where are we headed anyway?"
"To my home, Colony Eternum."
*************************************************
Leos swung the blade around experimentally, the exquisite weapon slicing through the air with little or no resistance. He'd never been much of a swordsman, but being a trader had given the eye of a connoisseur. This was the most excellent sword he had ever seen... with one exception maybe. And that was his family heirloom, the Sword of Delasaris as he'd now come to know it.
The sword was legendary here, and a technological marvel anywhere. It was forged in Arcadia's golden age, by none other than Delasaris himself. As a simple, solid blade its edge was unmatched by anything that had ever come into existence. But it was so much more than a simple blade. Delasaris had grafted the blade to his will and being through the silver moon crystal embedded in its hilt, and could only be used to it's full potential only by him and even then only when his emotions were driven trough the crystal. When it was activated his emotions were channeled into the blade, igniting every atom of the unknown alloy into a fire so hot that nothing could stand in its way.
Which explained why Jaycera was able to cut through Gideon's armor, killing him and his metamorph.
"An elegant weapon, yes?"
Leos turned and bowed stiffly to his mentor.
"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you come in, Master." He apologized, in a manner than was becoming more and more automatic. Vaulrik waved it off nonchalantly.
"Soon, there will come a day when you will be on the receiving end of apologies and will find first hand how annoying it can get."
"But Master, you're the one who taught me this way."
Vaulrik smiled, endearingly. "Tradition. Here everything is based upon tradition. Our whole society is under the yoke of tradition and ritual."
"If it's oppressive, why don't they break out of it then?"
"People would rather suffer in what they know than work to improve their lives."
Leos nodded, but the full weight of the comment didn't really hit him. He'd been working hard to improve his life ever since he was young, and voiced this fact to his master who merely chuckled.
"You're one in a million." He said, leaving it at that.
"Two in a million," Leos said absentmindedly under his breath. Vaulrik met him with a quizzical look.
"Two in a million? What do you mean by this?"
Leos bit his lip uncomfortably. When he'd first come to be in this place he had made it a point to tell these people as little as possible, remembering that it was they who'd been destroying the sacred places of the world, and they who'd shot down his ship over Ixa'Taka. As time progressed however, he found himself opening up more and more to these people who'd accepted him as one of their own, and indeed, more than their own. He was a hero. Their savior. And he was beginning to enjoy the role.
"Well, there are two of us..." He said, leaving it mysteriously at that. If there was one thing he was learning from his master, it was mystique.
"A sibling I presume." Vaulrik stated, catching onto his train of thought quickly.
"Yes, a younger sister." Leos replied, not feeling the need to hold anything back any longer. His sister was in no danger with these people. In fact, she would be better off to come here, with him.
"And where is this younger sister?"
"Probably back on Arcadia, with Ryne."
The last comment caught Vaulrik's full attention.
"Ah, the Shrine Silvite boy."
"Yeah, that would be him."
Vaulrik studied Leos' face for a moment, as if try to gauge the truth of this new revelation. Satisfied, he clasped his hands behind his back and started walking out of the training room. Leos shook his head and threw his blade into the air, liquefying in mid-flight and taking the familiar shape of a young metamorph. Selrea bobbed contentedly behind as he took stride behind his master.
"Where are we going, Master?"
"To the surface." He said simply, his cloak billowing behind him at his steady pace.
"Why?"
"It will be revealed all in good time, my young apprentice."
**********************************************
Ryne followed closely behind Celeste, who was walking through the dense foliage with a steady, confident stride, walking with purpose. A month ago Ryne would have been struggling to keep up, especially with his load of supplies hanging from his back. Now it was easy. He wasn't even breathing hard yet, though he estimated that they'd been walking for nearly half of a day, though that was difficult to tell in the dusk light. The sun hadn't seemed to move from its position at all, whenever they could see it through a clearing in the brush. It was merely a sliver of light on the horizon. Celeste seemed to be following it though, so maybe its unchanging position was a good thing.
He was glad that he'd been allowed to sleep, even though something told him that it had been the wrong thing to do. Celeste had rationalized it, though he couldn't help but wonder if she was wrong. His head wanted to believe her and leave it at that, but something in his heart kept screaming that they were in danger, and he was to blame.
Ryne tried to push these thoughts from his head, replacing them with his hopes of finding his mother and father and escaping this place. He was only marginally successful. Instead he found himself thinking of how he might have doomed his parents.
"Stop that."
Ryne turned his head to Jay, who was walking in pace beside him. He tried to give her a "Whatever do you mean?" look.
"Hm? Stop what?"
"Stop thinking and start talking." She said, shifting her pack onto her shoulders. Ryne rolled his eyes and grinned slightly.
"Says the girl who doesn't stop thinking."
"Hey, I figure leave it on all the time, or never turn it on in the first place."
"Why not turn it on when you need it?"
"I'm sure you weren't thinking about anything vastly important." Jay teased, "We're in the middle of nowhere... again."
"Why are we always walking?" Ryne asked rhetorically, "I think you're bad luck... this is the second time we've crash landed in the middle of a jungle."
"Yeah, well at least this time there aren't any natives tying to cook us and eat us."
"Nope... capture and kill us maybe, but probably not eat us."
Ryne jumped over a fallen log, nearly tripping over a branch that he hadn't seen on the other side. He shifted the pack back onto his shoulders and continued the steady pace. The small talk was really helping him get his mind off of everything.
"Am I the only one who feels kinda ignored around these guys?"
Ryne turned and grinned at Wallin with a cocked eyebrow.
"There could be a reason for that."
"Are you tryin to say somethin?" Sly asked, beating his chest. "You wanna take this outside?"
"Outside what? The fake atmosphere? You first."
"Watch it bub, or you'll be suckin some space."
"Would you guys just shut up!" Rafe finally interjected, "I mean it would be fine if either of you were serious, but right now you're both just getting on my nerves!"
Wallin gave him an accusing stare. "What do you mean it would be fine if we were serious?"
"I mean things would be a lot more peaceful if you were sucking vacuum."
Sly made a show of clutching his chest and miming a beating heart suddenly stopping.
"Ouch... that hurt... right in the old pumper..."
"Could all of you please just knock it off." Jerem said, his voice full of exasperation. "I didn't sign on for this mission to baby sit."
"You know, if word could kill... I'd be pretty bruised."
"You could use a little more color." Ryne said, ending the verbal spar on a comical note.
The rest of the "day" went pretty uneventful. After a couple more hours Ryne could tell that the sun was indeed rising, and that they were working their way toward an outer edge of the dome that protected the colony. He roughly estimated that they were about five or more hours away from the edge... if that was indeed where they were headed.
All he was sure of right now was that he was beginning to get exhausted, stumbling more and more often, his pack weighing heavily on his back. Celeste just kept on walking though, the rest of them locked into a fierce competition to see who would be the first to go down. Ultimately, none of them would remember who was the first. For once that first move was made, everyone else immediately followed suit. There was no dinner, no banter, and no consciousness. Everyone fell asleep as soon as they hit the ground. Sleeping anywhere was something that Ryne was beginning to excel at.
****************************************
Leos watched his sister sleep. From the shadows of the forest he had watched her as she waited until everyone else was asleep, and curled up in the crook of Ryne's arm and fell asleep.
It was hard to describe how he was feeling. Part of him wanted to rush up to her and embrace her, telling her that he was alive and so happy to see her. Part of him wanted to just watch her, marveling at the women he now saw her to be. And another part of him loathed where she was.
Leos had never been a man of jealousy. Personal possessions meant little to him, and the only person he had a lasting relationship was Jaycera. But as he watched from the darkness as the only person he loved found comfort in another, his blood began to boil. And for the first time since his parents had been killed, he allowed himself to hate. Unabashed and fully, he hated Ryne with everything he was.
He had finally fully accepted his place as a Silvite.
*****************************************
This time, Ryne was the first one to wake up. He went to stretch and yawn, but found that there was a head resting in the junction of his arm. He wasn't really surprised to find Jay there, sleeping contentedly and soundly, her sweet breath now noticeably hot on his face.
He wanted to let her sleep, he really did. He knew she hadn't been sleeping well lately, and she looked so peaceful and gorgeous when she was sleeping. But the other would be waking up soon... and he didn't want them to find the here like this. Gently, he brushed the hair out of her face and shook her slightly, her ice blue eyes fluttering open just inched from his face.
"Morning, Sunshine."
Jay stretched and yawned, rolling down his arm and ending up in a sitting position somehow, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
"Some morning, it's not much brighter than when I fell asleep..." she grumbled, rolling her neck. Ryne sat up and shrugged.
"Well, count your blessings." He said, smiling slightly. "Look up in the sky."
Jay met his gaze with a look of puzzlement, then turned herself around and scanned the horizon.
"What exactly am I looking for?"
"You're looking too high up." Ryne said, pointing toward the horizon. "Just to the left of the sun, you can't miss it."
For a moment Jaycera didn't realize what it was she was looking at. It was a little higher than the sun was, peeking up almost halfway over the horizon. Half of a blue-green orb swirled over with white. Just looking at it gave a calm, soothing feeling, which only increased when she realized what is was. Arcadia had never looked so beautiful to her before.
"Rafe... If we get out of this alive... I'm going to... ummm... be very VERY happy."
Ryne could barely hear Sly's comment. It wasn't that the microphone in his ear was any softer... but that his body was shaking an rattling so violently that everything seemed like a slur of speech, barely recognizable as such.
"Don't worry, everything's under control." Rafe said, as calm as he could be in a situation like this
"Yeah, that's what I'm worried about."
All that could be seen through the forward viewport was flame, licking its way across the whole nose of the ship, trying in vain to consume it. It wasn't the fire that worried him. He could control and manipulate the fire if he set his mind to it. It was the falling. Or more accurately; the sudden stop at the end of the fall... that and the not knowing when they were going to hit. Jerem knew. He was the one watching the monitors, telling Rafe at what angle he should point the ship. But he wasn't making any public announcements of when. Ryne wanted to strangle him.
Ryne hazarded a glace over at Jay and Celeste, and found them both sitting almost calmly with their eyes closed. Only one of the two actually was. Jay was clutching to the armrests for dear life, praying to the moons with all the strength left in her.
Ryne suddenly lurched forward in his seat as they passed through the energy dome that contained the Silvite colony's atmosphere, losing much of their momentum. Apparently too much, for Rafe was now fighting with the control yokes desperately, trying to stop the aggressive spin they'd gone into.
For the first time, Ryne noticed that there was now gravity. because his insides were flipping about, threatening to spill out of him if pushed much longer. Thankfully, they weren't.
In a scene that gave him an incredible sense of deja vous, he saw the ground rushing up to meet them, and heard the loud thwacking sounds of some of the taller trees hitting the bottom of the ship. Suddenly, without warning, the nose of the ship caught something in the foliage, flipping the tail end up and the ship completely upside down. Ryne heard and felt something explode from behind him before all the lights and instruments in the cabin flickered off, the darkness that enveloped them reminding them all that they were on the dark side of the moon, or would have reminded them if any of them had their eyes open.
Finally, the masterpiece of Valuan engineering and ingenuity came to rest, belly up in the middle of a huge, dense forest on the surface of Arcadia's silver moon, completely ruined beyond repair.
It seemed to Ryne that the shaking continued long after the ship had come to a stop. But as he finally let himself relax, his arms hanging above his head, he realized it was just him. With one hand clutching firmly to the straps, Ryne pressed the central release button, his body falling to the ceiling below him. He had intended to hang on the straps and lower himself gently, but his grip had roved to be less than formidable.
Lying on his back, Ryne used what was left of his strength to take the glass helmet off, and take gasping breaths of air... fresh air that was now blowing through the many holes in the metal skin of the craft. He felt a rush of air hit his exposed face heard a soft thud as Jaycera came tumbling down after him, likewise freeing herself from the stuffy helmet, her hair a mess of black curls hanging over her head in a hopelessly tangled knot.
"Well..." She said between gasps of air, "We made it."
Ryne didn't say anything. He didn't think anything needed to be said. He just smiled weakly. He didn't even hear as the rest of the crew made their way out of their seats, joining them on the ceiling. He didn't even feel it when Jay rested her head in the junction of his shoulder and clung to his limp body. All he knew what that the darkness was coming for him again. And this time he met it with open arms.
******************************************
By the time Jaycera had awakened, she had totally forgotten where she was. All she knew what that she had slept dreamlessly... and for the first time in a long time, she felt like everything was going to be alright.
She could feel Ryne's warm breath on her head, teasing her hair. She smiled softly, even though the expression was slightly out of place as she remembered where she was... and worse, why she was here. But she didn't care. Not right now anyway. Thinking about it would only ruin the moment. All she wanted to do was forget and enjoy this little slice of peace and happiness while it lasted.
Contentedly she nuzzled her head on Ryne arm, almost feline like, and held him closer, seeking the comfort and feeling of rightness she'd found here. She knew she loved him... even though she could never explain nor understand it. In truth, she didn't want to understand it. Just know that it was.
Ryne stirred slightly, slowly coming to back to consciousness. Jay let him go, sitting up and sighing. Nothing good could ever last anymore. She hugged her knees to her chest, letting her mind wander away from where she was... back to lost homes, broken promises, and a little six year old girl trying to find her place in the world. Did she even know that place now? She shoved these thoughts away with a shake of her head.
"I trust you slept well."
Jay would have screamed and jumped out of her skin if she hadn't grown accustomed to the Silvite girl's tendency to startle her. Jaycera looked over at her and rolled her eyes. She didn't know if this was just the way she was or if she derived some sick kind of pleasure out of it. If it was the latter, she showed none of it on her face... which didn't really tell her anything.
However, she was surprised (and a little embarrassed) to find that everyone else was up as well, standing behind Celeste with their silver suits gone and their backs loaded with gear.
"Umm.. yeah I did actually..." She stammered, turning a light shade of red.
"I'll bet." Rafe scoffed, shifting the pack further up his shoulders. Ryne sat up, blinking his eyes furiously and rubbing the sleep sand out of the corners of his eyes, mumbling something incoherent.
"Y'know, that was quite possibly the cutest thing I ever saw." Wallin said, mock-serious to Jerem, who only smiled and shook his head.
"Well," He said finally, "Now that you two kids are up, we can get out of here before we get caught and probably killed."
This statement brought Ryne to full consciousness.
"How long have we been asleep?" He asked hurriedly.
"I figure about a couple of hours." Jerem said pointing at Celeste. "The native here's about the only one who stayed awake. She said we still have a little while before they come breathing down our necks."
"Why aren't they here already?"
"Do you have any clue how often space debris hits the surface of the moon?" Celeste interjected, taking over the technical aspects of the conversation. "They probably dismissed our landing as such."
"They why are they coming at all?"
Celeste shrugged casually. "Most of the smaller stuff gets deflected of the artificial atmosphere. They'll want to check out anything big enough and with enough momentum to punch through. It just isn't all that high on the list of priorities right now."
"Right." Ryne said, actually understanding her which was a rarity when she went into her speeches... which were also a rarity in themselves. He pushed himself up off the ceiling, giving Jay a hand up as well. "So where are we headed anyway?"
"To my home, Colony Eternum."
*************************************************
Leos swung the blade around experimentally, the exquisite weapon slicing through the air with little or no resistance. He'd never been much of a swordsman, but being a trader had given the eye of a connoisseur. This was the most excellent sword he had ever seen... with one exception maybe. And that was his family heirloom, the Sword of Delasaris as he'd now come to know it.
The sword was legendary here, and a technological marvel anywhere. It was forged in Arcadia's golden age, by none other than Delasaris himself. As a simple, solid blade its edge was unmatched by anything that had ever come into existence. But it was so much more than a simple blade. Delasaris had grafted the blade to his will and being through the silver moon crystal embedded in its hilt, and could only be used to it's full potential only by him and even then only when his emotions were driven trough the crystal. When it was activated his emotions were channeled into the blade, igniting every atom of the unknown alloy into a fire so hot that nothing could stand in its way.
Which explained why Jaycera was able to cut through Gideon's armor, killing him and his metamorph.
"An elegant weapon, yes?"
Leos turned and bowed stiffly to his mentor.
"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you come in, Master." He apologized, in a manner than was becoming more and more automatic. Vaulrik waved it off nonchalantly.
"Soon, there will come a day when you will be on the receiving end of apologies and will find first hand how annoying it can get."
"But Master, you're the one who taught me this way."
Vaulrik smiled, endearingly. "Tradition. Here everything is based upon tradition. Our whole society is under the yoke of tradition and ritual."
"If it's oppressive, why don't they break out of it then?"
"People would rather suffer in what they know than work to improve their lives."
Leos nodded, but the full weight of the comment didn't really hit him. He'd been working hard to improve his life ever since he was young, and voiced this fact to his master who merely chuckled.
"You're one in a million." He said, leaving it at that.
"Two in a million," Leos said absentmindedly under his breath. Vaulrik met him with a quizzical look.
"Two in a million? What do you mean by this?"
Leos bit his lip uncomfortably. When he'd first come to be in this place he had made it a point to tell these people as little as possible, remembering that it was they who'd been destroying the sacred places of the world, and they who'd shot down his ship over Ixa'Taka. As time progressed however, he found himself opening up more and more to these people who'd accepted him as one of their own, and indeed, more than their own. He was a hero. Their savior. And he was beginning to enjoy the role.
"Well, there are two of us..." He said, leaving it mysteriously at that. If there was one thing he was learning from his master, it was mystique.
"A sibling I presume." Vaulrik stated, catching onto his train of thought quickly.
"Yes, a younger sister." Leos replied, not feeling the need to hold anything back any longer. His sister was in no danger with these people. In fact, she would be better off to come here, with him.
"And where is this younger sister?"
"Probably back on Arcadia, with Ryne."
The last comment caught Vaulrik's full attention.
"Ah, the Shrine Silvite boy."
"Yeah, that would be him."
Vaulrik studied Leos' face for a moment, as if try to gauge the truth of this new revelation. Satisfied, he clasped his hands behind his back and started walking out of the training room. Leos shook his head and threw his blade into the air, liquefying in mid-flight and taking the familiar shape of a young metamorph. Selrea bobbed contentedly behind as he took stride behind his master.
"Where are we going, Master?"
"To the surface." He said simply, his cloak billowing behind him at his steady pace.
"Why?"
"It will be revealed all in good time, my young apprentice."
**********************************************
Ryne followed closely behind Celeste, who was walking through the dense foliage with a steady, confident stride, walking with purpose. A month ago Ryne would have been struggling to keep up, especially with his load of supplies hanging from his back. Now it was easy. He wasn't even breathing hard yet, though he estimated that they'd been walking for nearly half of a day, though that was difficult to tell in the dusk light. The sun hadn't seemed to move from its position at all, whenever they could see it through a clearing in the brush. It was merely a sliver of light on the horizon. Celeste seemed to be following it though, so maybe its unchanging position was a good thing.
He was glad that he'd been allowed to sleep, even though something told him that it had been the wrong thing to do. Celeste had rationalized it, though he couldn't help but wonder if she was wrong. His head wanted to believe her and leave it at that, but something in his heart kept screaming that they were in danger, and he was to blame.
Ryne tried to push these thoughts from his head, replacing them with his hopes of finding his mother and father and escaping this place. He was only marginally successful. Instead he found himself thinking of how he might have doomed his parents.
"Stop that."
Ryne turned his head to Jay, who was walking in pace beside him. He tried to give her a "Whatever do you mean?" look.
"Hm? Stop what?"
"Stop thinking and start talking." She said, shifting her pack onto her shoulders. Ryne rolled his eyes and grinned slightly.
"Says the girl who doesn't stop thinking."
"Hey, I figure leave it on all the time, or never turn it on in the first place."
"Why not turn it on when you need it?"
"I'm sure you weren't thinking about anything vastly important." Jay teased, "We're in the middle of nowhere... again."
"Why are we always walking?" Ryne asked rhetorically, "I think you're bad luck... this is the second time we've crash landed in the middle of a jungle."
"Yeah, well at least this time there aren't any natives tying to cook us and eat us."
"Nope... capture and kill us maybe, but probably not eat us."
Ryne jumped over a fallen log, nearly tripping over a branch that he hadn't seen on the other side. He shifted the pack back onto his shoulders and continued the steady pace. The small talk was really helping him get his mind off of everything.
"Am I the only one who feels kinda ignored around these guys?"
Ryne turned and grinned at Wallin with a cocked eyebrow.
"There could be a reason for that."
"Are you tryin to say somethin?" Sly asked, beating his chest. "You wanna take this outside?"
"Outside what? The fake atmosphere? You first."
"Watch it bub, or you'll be suckin some space."
"Would you guys just shut up!" Rafe finally interjected, "I mean it would be fine if either of you were serious, but right now you're both just getting on my nerves!"
Wallin gave him an accusing stare. "What do you mean it would be fine if we were serious?"
"I mean things would be a lot more peaceful if you were sucking vacuum."
Sly made a show of clutching his chest and miming a beating heart suddenly stopping.
"Ouch... that hurt... right in the old pumper..."
"Could all of you please just knock it off." Jerem said, his voice full of exasperation. "I didn't sign on for this mission to baby sit."
"You know, if word could kill... I'd be pretty bruised."
"You could use a little more color." Ryne said, ending the verbal spar on a comical note.
The rest of the "day" went pretty uneventful. After a couple more hours Ryne could tell that the sun was indeed rising, and that they were working their way toward an outer edge of the dome that protected the colony. He roughly estimated that they were about five or more hours away from the edge... if that was indeed where they were headed.
All he was sure of right now was that he was beginning to get exhausted, stumbling more and more often, his pack weighing heavily on his back. Celeste just kept on walking though, the rest of them locked into a fierce competition to see who would be the first to go down. Ultimately, none of them would remember who was the first. For once that first move was made, everyone else immediately followed suit. There was no dinner, no banter, and no consciousness. Everyone fell asleep as soon as they hit the ground. Sleeping anywhere was something that Ryne was beginning to excel at.
****************************************
Leos watched his sister sleep. From the shadows of the forest he had watched her as she waited until everyone else was asleep, and curled up in the crook of Ryne's arm and fell asleep.
It was hard to describe how he was feeling. Part of him wanted to rush up to her and embrace her, telling her that he was alive and so happy to see her. Part of him wanted to just watch her, marveling at the women he now saw her to be. And another part of him loathed where she was.
Leos had never been a man of jealousy. Personal possessions meant little to him, and the only person he had a lasting relationship was Jaycera. But as he watched from the darkness as the only person he loved found comfort in another, his blood began to boil. And for the first time since his parents had been killed, he allowed himself to hate. Unabashed and fully, he hated Ryne with everything he was.
He had finally fully accepted his place as a Silvite.
*****************************************
This time, Ryne was the first one to wake up. He went to stretch and yawn, but found that there was a head resting in the junction of his arm. He wasn't really surprised to find Jay there, sleeping contentedly and soundly, her sweet breath now noticeably hot on his face.
He wanted to let her sleep, he really did. He knew she hadn't been sleeping well lately, and she looked so peaceful and gorgeous when she was sleeping. But the other would be waking up soon... and he didn't want them to find the here like this. Gently, he brushed the hair out of her face and shook her slightly, her ice blue eyes fluttering open just inched from his face.
"Morning, Sunshine."
Jay stretched and yawned, rolling down his arm and ending up in a sitting position somehow, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
"Some morning, it's not much brighter than when I fell asleep..." she grumbled, rolling her neck. Ryne sat up and shrugged.
"Well, count your blessings." He said, smiling slightly. "Look up in the sky."
Jay met his gaze with a look of puzzlement, then turned herself around and scanned the horizon.
"What exactly am I looking for?"
"You're looking too high up." Ryne said, pointing toward the horizon. "Just to the left of the sun, you can't miss it."
For a moment Jaycera didn't realize what it was she was looking at. It was a little higher than the sun was, peeking up almost halfway over the horizon. Half of a blue-green orb swirled over with white. Just looking at it gave a calm, soothing feeling, which only increased when she realized what is was. Arcadia had never looked so beautiful to her before.