“I’m okay, Vaelor. Keep going.”
“Wrap your arms around my neck from the back and hold on. I’ll carry you down the rest of the way.”
She quickly did what he told her to. She was so light, he could carry her half way across the entire planet and not get tired. But this was not how he imagined holding her to him. And he imagined quite a lot the past few days.
It wasn’t just the biometric tether binding them for the games. They had begun to connect emotionally. There was also an intense attraction between them as well. Her beauty was undeniable, but her inner strength and determination was a big part of the appeal. His people would love her.
“How are we doing?” she asked.
He could hear the strain in her voice.
“We are almost at the bottom. Are you okay?”
“Yes. Keep going.”
A few minutes later, Vaelor stopped to lower her carefully to the ground.
“Be careful. This next stretch has the field of Screech-Ice that is extremely sensitive. We will need to walk slowly and steadily, no sudden movements.”
“I wish I could see,” she said.
“It’s not a lot different from what you have already seen of this planet. But the field here is very shiny and clear.”
“So, what’s beneath the ice floor?”
“You don’t want to know.”
“Trust goes both ways. You have to trust me to handle it.”
There was hesitation.
“This is a crevasse. A deep crack in an ice sheet. We are traveling between near-vertical walls. Below us is the ice sheet floor. And under that is a long fall to the icy water below.”
She cleared her throat. “How long would we survive falling into that water?”
“The water's extreme sub-zero temperatures would cause immediate cold shock and rapid hypothermia. With our biosuits we may have a minute or less.”
“No one would get to us in time,” she said.
“No.”
“Okay. Lead the way.”
He was so proud of her. Vaelor could scent her fear, but she pushed it down, remained calm and was ready to do whatever they needed to do to get through.
As they moved carefully over the ice, a shaking vibration made them stop and wait. When it calmed, they began walking again.
“Can you see these buckets they talked about?” she asked.
Looking up, he could make out three shadowy objects. “I believe I see three.”
“Are they moving?”
“Yes, the wind is pushing against them.”
“Can we avoid going underneath them?”
“I’ll try but there is not a lot of room to maneuver in this crevasse.”
