On the ship there were doors that led to high-pressure areas. When I was a kid playing hide-and-seek, I discovered a maintenance tunnel that let out on one. This door reminds me of that one. Thick-looking steel with reinforcing beams running across its surface. A massive wheel that looks bigger than me even now in the middle. The wheel has handles around its outside. It’s obviously not meant for easy passage.
“Here we are,” Amara says. “Shidan?”
Shidan walks up to the wheel. I half-expected it to look smaller with perspective, with the massive Zmaj next to it, but nope. It still looks huge. Shidan stretches his arms out fully to reach either side of the wheel. He strains to turn it.
Every muscle on his overly toned body tenses, bulging out, making it clear how incredibly strong their entire race is. Shidan isn’t even that big, for a Zmaj.
Shidan grunts, then groans and tries again. The wheel doesn’t budge. He lets go, steps back, and shakes his head. Sverre has a big smile on his face. He places a hand on Shidan’s shoulder then the two of them walk up to the wheel.
Together they lean into it and still they strain, but it moves with a soft screech. Once it starts moving, it loosens, and in a couple of minutes the door stands open.
A musty smell wafts out. Beyond the door, lies a roughhewn, unfinished tunnel with flickering lights set along the top of the wall every forty feet or so. There are cracks along the walls and some on the ceiling too. Large support beams that look like they are made of concrete are evenly spaced as far as I can see. Some of those also have cracks in them.
Amara looks to me. “Looks like you’re up, miner girl.”
She smiles and makes a sweeping motion forward with her hand.
“Thanks.” I smile and walk up to the mine.
Khabri follows. I walk into the tunnel and up to the first of the cracks on the wall. After running my hands up and down the wall, I press around the split, testing how the wall reacts. It seems to be holding well enough.
Satisfied with that first test, I go to the beam that has a long crack running up and down it. This is the one I’m most worried about. When I press, there’s a soft crack and fresh dirt drizzles out of it.
“This isn’t safe,” I say. “But it will hold for now. If they bomb us again, I don’t think this tunnel will hold up.”
“Then we need to hurry,” Ladon says.
He moves past, his wings pushing me up against the wall. I bite my tongue before I spout off at the mouth again. Khabri stops to make sure I’m okay. I nod and take my place in our group. We walk on in silence.
I’m continuously studying the walls and ceiling, but I’ve done this for so long now that it’s automatic, leaving me with way too much time to think.
Ladon is the epitome of why I was scared of the Zmaj. I followed Gershom not because I believed him, but because what was the alternative? Stay in the City with Ladon and the other new Zmaj showing up? No thanks.
Khabri is different. He’s proven that over and over, even if he is weirdly pushy. I can’t imagine any human guy coming up and saying, hey, we’re going to make great babies as an opening line. I mean, seriously?
He’s sexy. He’s protective, and he’s a skilled warrior, a great trait to make sure you survive on Tajss. Yet I can’t open up to him.
I want to, but every time I almost do, I stop myself. I like big guys. Every fantasy I’ve ever had is a big guy. What could it hurt to try?
Ladon reminds me why. Big guys also have tendencies to be demanding, intrusive, and to not care about those around them. Maybe Ladon’s different with Calista, but what I’ve seen doesn’t make me think so.
She was scared of him coming on this trip. She begged him not to go, but he’s all, oh no, I’m the big strong man. I do what I want. A typical big guy trait. Is Khabri like that too? He hasn’t been, at least that I’ve seen.
Shidan obviously dotes on Amara. Even walking through the tunnel, his eyes never leave her. He worships the ground she walks on. She seems to feel the same. They get along great.
Watching them makes me wonder what it would be like to have someone like that. Khabri wants to be. All I have to do is say yes. Say yes to an alien-dragon man who, if rumors are true, has a double down on alien monster dong. Heat forms in my belly thinking about it. There are a lot of half-Zmaj babies running around, so obviously it fits. I can’t help but wonder what that would be like.
I can’t deny it’d be nice to be able to get off myself every time. Two cocks ought to mean one for his pleasure, one for mine, right?
Something cracks. Dirt falls from the ceiling.
“Run!” I yell.
Everyone rushes ahead. Another crack echoes off the walls, and more dirt falls. No one stops, but I watch over my shoulder praying we’re not about to have a cave-in. Luckily, it stops before any more damage happens.
“Okay,” I say. “We’re okay.”
“You scared the hell out of me,” Amara says, wiping sweat from her forehead.
“Better safe than sorry,” I say.
“I’m not complaining, observing only,” she says, holding up her hand.
“We’re here,” Ladon says, pointing ahead to where the tunnel dead ends and a ladder is built into the wall.
He doesn’t wait for anyone before climbing the ladder. There’s a much smaller door that’s a mini version of the previous one at the top. Ladon spins this wheel easily and then lifts the door a crack. Sand blows in the small opening as he stares out.
None of us dare breathe, afraid even the noise of our breath might alert Invaders, if any are waiting. Ladon grunts and pushes the door open the entire way, and then he climbs out. There’s no sounds of battle happening, so the rest of us scramble up and out.
We emerge on the open desert with both suns beating down. The heat is oppressive, but not as bad as it was before I took epis. Interesting.
After Khabri is out, Ladon closes the door and brushes sand back across to conceal its location. Behind us, I see the top of the dome of the city peeking over the summits of massive sand dunes that lie between it and us.
“This way,” Ladon says, and he takes off across the desert.
Amara rolls her eyes before she jogs after him. Khabri waits for me to run, and then he paces me. I don’t know if I can keep the pace Ladon is setting, but I’ll try. We’re only minutes into the running before I’m feeling how hard this is going to be.
At least there isn’t time to let my thoughts wander. It’s taking all my concentration to keep pushing myself to keep up.
We run for maybe an hour when I finally stumble to a stop. Amara stops, too. Ladon runs on for several feet before stopping and looking back with clear irritation. He doesn’t say anything, but he does walk back to where we’ve stopped.
“I could carry you,” Shidan offers Amara.
“It’ll be a cold day on Tajss before I let you do that,” Amara says. “I’m not weak.”
“Of course not, my treasure,” Shidan says.
“I can, if you’d like,” Khabri offers. I give him an arched eyebrow and tilt of my head. He smiles and shakes his head. “Of course not.”
Smart boy. I could get to like you.
Oh hell, I do like him. Damn it. He’s sweet, attentive, and everything I could ever ask for in a man. Except for the whole let’s make babies right now thing. That’s still creepy.