“Sounds like it’ll be worth the headache if it helps me covermore distance faster. And let me be clear, there are no addictive properties?”
“None. With the side effects, most would prefer to avoid it save those circumstances such as this where it is more prudent to use it than avoid it. That’s why I brought a dose.”
“Just one? What about you? How will you keep up if I’m super-charged?
He shook his head, a bright, amused grin on his handsome face. “I don’t need it.”
“You saying I’m weak?” she asked, a wry grin on her face.
“Nothing of the sort. I wouldn’t bring it up normally, but given our situation it seemed this was an appropriate time to offer it. You are tired, simple as that, and we cannot afford to be slow.”
What he neglected to mention was that he was tired too and would have happily downed one of the elixirs himself, headache be damned. But he’d only managed to procure one of them in the city, and he had saved it for Maria. Her well-being came first, though she didn’t need to know any of that. All that mattered was that she would benefit from his actions and remain free.
He took a small tube out of his pack. It looked like green glass, but it felt almost weightless, the thin material sealed with a simple stopper. It was anything but.
“This is shatterproof,” he said, tapping it on a rock. “The sealing mechanism is deceptive. It looks like a pull stopper, but you must first place one finger on the bottom of the tube. It conducts bioelectricity which will allow you to open the other end. Fail to do that and it will remain quite sealed no matter how hard you pull. Understood?” he asked, handing her the tube.
“Yeah.”
“Good. I would suggest waiting to take it until your food has digested, just in case it causes any stomach upset.”
“Ah, right. Again, that pesky human metabolism rearing its ugly head.”
“You are far from ugly,” he said, a slight blush rising to his cheeks, vanishing just as quickly.
Maria felt a little flutter in her stomach. This enormous, capable man who had faced untold risk rescuing her with little care for his own safety was actually flustered. It was freaking adorable. If not for their current situation, she might even have enjoyed a little teasing banter, but Zepharos quickly rose to his feet.
“I’m going to do a quick scout to determine the best route now that we have light. Enjoy your breakfast, I’ll be back soon.”
He didn’t wait for a response, vanishing in a flash.
Well, that was something, Maria chuckled to herself. A welcome moment of levity in her day. So far, this escape with her new alien friend was proving not so bad at all.
Zepharos returned a short while later, composed and with a determined look in his eye.
“It’s going to be a little more difficult than anticipated,” he said, shaking his head as he gathered up their supplies and refuse into his pack then slipping it onto his broad shoulders. “There is a small river, but it is normally a trickle this time of year.”
“I sense abutcoming.”
“But there must have been a storm somewhere upstream, and as a result we are going to have to get a little creative to cross. Can you swim?”
“I can. Is that not normal here?”
“Most can swim, but it’s something I’d never thought to ask of the other humans I’ve met.”
“So, we’re swimming across a river?”
“No. The water is too swift, for one. And if stormwater iscausing the rise, it will likely be quite cold. Best to avoid it if at all possible.”
“Avoid the river? I thought you said we have to cross it.”
“Sorry. Yes, we must cross the river. I mean it is best to avoid falling in. Cold takes its toll, though it is early in the day, and it will be warm out by the time we reach it, which does reduce the risk. In any case, we need to get moving. Are you ready?”
“As ready as I can be.”
He nodded once. “Then follow me.”
They headed for the ridge and began their descent. It was then that Maria saw the river’s telltale gleam in the distance. It wasn’t huge by any means, but it was definitely not some reduced trickle. It wasn’t too far, perhaps a few hours’ trek. She’d find out its true breadth for sure then. Until that time, she would just focus on keeping up with Zepharos and minding her footing. A sprained ankle could be the difference between escape and recapture, and she wasnotabout to endure the latter. Not if she had anything to say about it.
