In the distance, the burning remains of the segment from the Raxxian ship were still aflame, pumping smoke up into the sky in a steady stream. Apparently, whatever they used for fuel, there had been plenty of it.

Darla turned, scanning the rest of the area, looking for anything that might be of use. A town, a farm, anything. She slowly turned, taking it all in. She had glanced past an adjacent tree when she paused. Something was off. Something had caught her eye. A glint of gold.

She squinted, looking closer. Shrouded in the treetop, a large, violet and gold eyed man crouched, leaves tucked into his torn clothing, a hand-woven crown of foliage draped over his head, hanging down over his broad shoulders.

It was incredibly simple, yet with just the vegetation at hand, Heydar had somehow camouflaged himself perfectly.

And Darla didn’t give a shit.

“What the fuck?” she growled. “You just up and abandon me like that?”

“I did not abandon you.”

“What the hell do you call bailing on me without a word? Leaving me all alone in some primitive caveman shelter?”

“I was gathering information while you rested. You were tired.”

“Not so tired that I’m not going to be pissed that you left me there. What if an animal came? Or a Raxxian?”

“There are no Raxxians in our vicinity. And as for animals, the only tracks I have seen so far belong to smaller varieties. Nothing that would be a threat to you,” he said with an amused twinkle in his eyes.

“That doesn’t matter. And what the hell are you grinning at?”

He nodded toward the ground far below. “You climbed the tree without assistance.”

“Yeah? Big deal.”

“You required my help yesterday.”

“Well, you weren’t fucking there to help me today.”

“Indeed,” he said with a chuckle. “A good night’s rest has clearly invigorated you, and your focused anger has served you well.”

Darla felt a little flash of pride creeping in and mixing with her ire. Now that she stopped to think about it, she had managed to climb the tree with surprising ease, partly fueled by sheer irritation.

Heydar had been right about that, and the accuracy of his observation, along with her not noticing until it was pointed out, irked her even more. Honestly, she didn’t know whether she should be pleased or even more infuriated by the whole situation. Before she could make up her mind he raised an arm and pointed.

“What?” she snapped.

“There. Do you see it?”

“See what?”

“There.”

“You’ve got special alien eyes or something. I don’t see shit.”

“Yes, I have enhancing pigment, but it is not required for this. Look harder. You can do this.”

Darla was going to mouth off but held back. Instead she squinted her eyes, searching for whatever it was he was talking about. It took her a minute but then she actually saw something. Smoke in the distance. A different kind of smoke, to be exact.

“Yes,” he said when he saw her register the tendril wafting into the air. “Judging by the changed color of the treetops, something large came down in that area. Likely another section of the Raxxian ship. And this time it does not appear to be ablaze.”

“But the smoke?”

“Normal for so rough a landing, especially with emergency deceleration.”

Darla felt the anger ebbing from her body, slowly replaced by a modicum of hope.

“This means there might be other survivors, right?”

“There might be, yes.”

“So when do we leave?

Heydar smiled wide. “As soon as you join me on the ground.”

With that he scampered down the branches, landing on the soil below with catlike grace.

“Sonofa—fine. Gimme a minute.”

Darla descended much slower than he did, taking her time to make sure she didn’t fall. It seemed her alien companion was testing her.

Or pushing her.

Or maybe both.

It was annoying, no doubt, but unlikely as it was, she also found herself kind of enjoying it in a strange way. He had pushed her outside of her comfort zone and she had excelled.

She hated to admit it, but it felt good.

As soon as her feet hit the ground Heydar turned his back and started walking.

“Okay, then. I guess we’re heading out,” she grumbled, brushing off her hands and hurrying after him.

They made much better time now that it was full daylight. A decent night’s sleep hadn’t hurt either. Both added up to the pair covering a fair amount of ground at a quick pace. Heydar forged ahead, but it seemed he had been holding back a little more so Darla wouldn’t have to push so hard to keep up.

Was he taking it easy on her? Not by a long shot. But she had earned a bit of respect, and he was treating her less like an annoying human anchor slowing his roll and more like a fellow survivor, even if she was lacking the requisite tattoos. And she was keeping pace, holding her own, no matter how much her legs and lungs were objecting.

Twenty minutes into their walk, Heydar held up his hand, signaling to stop.

“What is it?” Darla whispered.

Heydar slowly raised his hands high, nodding for her to do the same. “We mean no threat,” he said to the foliage.

So much for being a badass fighter, she thought with a chuckle.

Nevertheless, Darla copied him, hands up in the air though they were clearly alone in the woods.

A rustling nearby startled her, but not nearly as much as the appearance of a dozen wiry, primitive hunters with spears in their hands and knives on their belts. That quickly made her reassess that position.

Where the hell did they come from? Darla wondered.

They were a pale green color and shorter than Heydar, though still taller than most humans. They were lean and strong from a life of activity outdoors. They had tunics but most were pulled loose and tucked into their waistbands. As a result, Darla got a good look at their exposed torsos, covered in a latticework of delicate tattoos of a variety of colors.

Where Heydar’s were bolder in design and heavy in pigment, these people opted for a more subtle approach. But one thing seemed the same. Namely, the runes inked into their skin. It appeared this means of tapping into the pigment’s power was universal across species. And that meant the translation runes tattooed behind each of their ears should still work here.

“We mean you no harm,” Heydar repeated. “I am Heydar, of the Nimenni.”

“We recognize as much,” the hunting party leader said, lowering his spear. “I am Adzus. Your people are welcome among the Oraku.” His attention shifted to the design peeping out from Heydar’s torn shirt, but he said nothing of it, instead turning to Darla. “And you? I am not familiar with your race.”

“Human,” she said. “We’re not exactly what you’d call space travelers.”

“The Raxxians took her and several others from her world,” Heydar clarified.

“Raxxians,” Adzus said, spitting with disgust. “We are no friends of the Raxxians.”

Heydar nodded. “Very few are.”

“And you? How did you come to be among them?” the hunter asked.

“Captured in battle and held for longer than I care to admit.”

Adzus nodded solemnly. “Then you would do well with a proper meal and a hot bath, both of which the Oraku will gladly provide you. Come, our village is no more than a few hours trek from here.”

“Thank you, Adzus, your hospitality is much appreciated,” Heydar replied.

“Yeah, thanks,” Darla added, wondering what new sort of strange alien situation she’d just landed in.

OceanofPDF.com

CHAPTER TEN

The trek back to the Oraku village was a surprisingly smooth and easy one. Having locals intimately familiar with the terrain certainly didn’t hurt. It was nevertheless a fairly long walk, and by the time they reached the primitive home of their new friends, Darla’s legs were aching.