"Is it safe to eat?" she asked.
Cael took the fruit from her and, pushing two of his thumbs inside, pulled it apart into two clean halves. The soft interior flesh was marbled shades of purple with white seeds inside.
"This is a krystalberry. They're quite rare and very expensive. But most importantly, they're safe to eat and quite delicious. Here." He handed her one half and brought the other to his mouth.
Midori watched him scrape out the inner flesh from the thick rind. A drop of purple juice spilled from the corner of mouth, and she tried not to stare when he licked it up with his tongue. There had been many moments like this over the past few weeks when Cael made her forget where she was or what she was doing. Too many moments. Midori forced her attention back to her own piece of fruit and brought it to her lips.
It was sour. Her lips puckered as she scraped the flesh into her mouth. The flavor was something between a lemon and a grapefruit, but the longer she tasted it, the sweeter the flavor grew until it wasn't sour at all. Just a mouthful of sweet fruit.
"It's delicious," she said, taking another bite.
Cael's thumb brushed her bottom lip and wiped away a drop of juice. "Yes, it is."
Cael's gaze held such an intensity, Midori had the distinct feeling they weren't talking about the fruit anymore. Her heart fluttered in her chest, and her stomach dropped. She wasn't hungry anymore. At least, not for food. She was all too aware of just what, or who, she was hungry for. By the look in Cael's eyes, he felt that same hunger as well.
Midori took another bite, not quite certain of what to do with the cacophony of emotions jumbling inside her. On one hand, she'd love nothing more than to strip Cael down and explore every inch of his blue alien anatomy with her tongue. But on the other hand, if they ever escaped this planet, there wasn't any future for them, and she'd be forced to let him go. But on the other hand, he seemed to want her as much as she wanted him. But on the other hand, bad luck trailed her relentlessly, and itwas bound to catch up with them both. A relationship with Cael was doomed before it ever began. On the other hand. . .
Enough! That's already four "on the other hands." Even Cael's hands would be full by now. Stop fretting about everything and embrace the present.
Pugly raised his head, a mess of purple rinds littered at his feet. "Yes, ineffable one. Stop worrying."
Midori stared down at the pig dog who had read her thoughts so easily.
"I am a telepathic being, she-who-shines-brighter-than-the-sun. Of course, I hear your inner monologue regarding your troubled attraction to the blue four-armed beast. Don't stress over what's coming. If we don't find an exit, it seems we may spend the rest of our lives inside the belly of this mountain. We will probably all die here, so you have nothing to worry about!"
NINE
Troubled attraction? Seems like we have something in common.
Cael thought about saying the words to lighten the mood, but from the look on Midori's troubled brow, now wasn't the time. Pugly's words had frightened her. No doubt she was thinking of her sister and getting back to her own home. Of course she'd be worried if she thought they'd never escape the bowels of this mountain.
And what of him? What if he never made it back to Zyranth? He'd begun this journey searching for his friend. Was he going to give up trying to find him? What about his uncle's abuse of power and connection to Lord Krissayr? Their nation had always despised the slavery trade and refused to participate. His uncle had changed all that, and now his people were active participants in the despicable practice. He had to make his way back and challenge his uncle. Make the council of elders see him for who he really was.
They had to get off this planet and make their way home.
Luckily, Pugly had helped him realize exactly where they were.
"We will not die here. I know we will find a way out, and once we do, we'll get back home. We just have to keep our eyes open for an exit. Once we find one, everything will be all right."
"How do you know? We could be the only people on this entire planet." Midori's voice was rising along with the panicked look on her face. "What if we get out of the mountain and even worse things are waiting for us? Trying to kill us? We don't know where we are or what's out there."
"That's not completely true," Cael said, plucking off another fruit from the vine and splitting it in half. "Krystalberries are a delicacy because there's only one place they're grown in the known universe—deep in the mountain caves on the moon of Equus. I know where we are. If we can get out of here, I can get help. I can get us home."
The smile that erupted on Midori's face was more than worth the pit of sadness forming in his belly.
"Are you sure? Really?"
Cael nodded. "Equus has several small cities dotted at the base of the mountains. It shouldn't be too hard to find civilization once we get out of here."
Midori breathed a sigh of relief and hugged her arms around Cael's middle, squeezing him in a tight embrace. Cael pulled her tight against him with all four of his arms, his tail snaking around to hug around her as well. It felt good to have her in his arms. It felt right. Like it was meant to be.
But it's not meant to be, and you know it. You're going to have to let go of her eventually. You might as well get used to it.
Cael cleared his throat, dropped his arms from around her, and took a step back.
Was that a look of hurt on her face?
"We really need to get some rest before we start a dedicated search for the way out." He handed half of the split krystalberry to Midori. "Eat your fill. I'll try to find something we can use tocarry some of these with us, but without the solar-thermo bag, it will be difficult."
