Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 88265 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88265 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
I’m not his mate. We did the whole consummation thing and all the hotness that went with the act, and then he told me our mating had failed.
“Wait,” I say as I remember something. “He spoke to you in his language, and you understood him.”
“I’ve picked up a few words.” Sandy hugs her knees to her chest. “I’m a fast learner, and I’ve always had a good ear for languages.”
I sit up straighter and immediately regret the sudden movement when pain lances into my brain. “That means you’ve met some Alit.”
“Only one, and I never formally met him. He always came to see the Phaelix after dark, and he wore a cloak that hid his face. He obviously didn’t want to be seen. He brought a Phaelix with him who spoke his Alit language and who could interpret for them. When they’d come, I’d keep quiet and still, trying to become invisible in whatever corner they’d tied me up in for the night. But the man hasn’t been back for a while now.”
“What did they talk about?”
“I couldn’t make out all of it.” She rocks back and forth, appearing thoughtful. “They were obviously negotiating because they mentioned debts and payments. The Phaelix said something about slaves. That’s when the man said the Alit only mated with their own kind.”
I think about that. “Do you think the Phaelix wanted to sell him a slave?”
“Maybe.” She pulls her shoulders up to her ears. “Who knows? All I know is that the Alit must be dangerous because the Phaelix were scared of him, and they’re not scared of anything. They acted cocky in front of him, but they were nervous before he came, and they were certainly edgy when he left.”
“Did you get a name?”
“No.” She stops rocking and swats at a huge fly that buzzes past. “How about your guy? I suppose communication wasn’t easy.”
I don’t tell her that Aruan’s brother, Kian, gave me the ability to understand and speak their language. I’m too busy contemplating something I’ve wondered about since the incident when Aruan saved me from the slave traders. “What did he say to you that made you go so quiet?”
“That day on the barge?” Sandy asks with big eyes. “He told me to leave you alone unless I wanted to end up as ashes, and to go back to where we came from. I assumed he meant Earth.” She snort-laughs. “After what he did to those slavers, I wasn’t going to argue with the man. Anyway, from the way he clutched you like a wild dog that had just found his favorite bone, I assumed you knew each other.”
“Nope,” I say, leaving the explanation at that. “We need to figure out which ones of these lizard dudes make portals. Do you have any idea who they may be?”
Alexa makes a face. “They all look more or less the same, and they don’t have names, at least not any we’re aware of.”
I can see how that’s going to be a problem.
“We’d better catch some sleep while we can,” Sandy, who seems to have taken up a leadership position in the group, says. “They’ll wake us before sunrise to fetch water and cook their breakfast.”
At the word “breakfast,” my stomach grumbles, reminding me it’s empty. Although I’m not sure I’d be able to keep food down. From the way I’m feeling now, I’ll probably be sick if I eat.
The women settle down, huddling together to keep warm. Karl lies down too. I remain in my spot, set on keeping watch. When the Phaelix show themselves, I can try to overpower them with some giant jungle critters, but I’d better make sure they let us out of here first. There’s no point in killing them and then dying of starvation in our prison. Unless I can command a dinosaur to snap the branches in two and break down the wall.
I focus hard on Betty, willing her to come, but as the hours drag on, nothing happens. I have to admit that my concentration is iffy. Did the knock on my head damage my power?
When the sun finally peeks through the branches, the Phaelix descend on ropes from the trees. In the daylight, I can make out the wooden decks and thatch roofs in the treetops that peek through the leaves. You wouldn’t notice those well-hidden treehouses unless you looked up and knew what to search for.
While the people stir awake around me, I scout for animal life. Finally spotting a line of giant hairy ant-like spiders scurrying across the clearing, I perk up. The arthropods may not be venomous, and I have no idea if they’re dangerous, but if all else fails, I can smother the Phaelix under a mountain of ant-spiders. I just need one of those dudes to unlock our cage first.