“It’s better we didn’t waste any more time in there anyway.Lugar perigoso,” Colton said.
Christian cast a concerned glance at Gemma before scanning the horizon. It was midday again, and the heat was even more brutal than the day before. Had they really been inside that cavern for an entire twenty-four hours?
In front of them lay many ancient, domed dwellings that looked as if they had been abandoned for a long time. Centuries, even. Walls and roofs were crumbling. Some had actual massive holes in their sides. Were these where the aliens lived?
“Where are we?” Imara asked.
Christian touched his comm as best he could with a broken arm. His gaze shifted back and forth. “We’re actually not as far from our target as I thought we’d be. Somehow, that place was a shortcut...” His brows furrowed.
“Well, you did fall through a mountain,” Colton reminded him.
And yet, somehow Christian ended up mostly unscathed. There was definitely something unnatural about that entire place.
“We should wait until sundown,” Gemma said. “After Christian’s fall—”
“We’re not waiting any longer.” Christian winced as he adjusted his broken arm in its sling.
Gemma ground her teeth. “You need to keep your heart rate and blood pressure down.”
“I know what concussions feel like. Trust me; I’m fine.” He looked at her with those handsome eyes, begging her to understand without saying it aloud. He’d been hunted by the Falaichte members so many times. He had been through much worse and survived.
He had trusted her to share if she showed symptoms. She needed to treat him the same.
Gemma sighed. “Fine. Just promise me you’ll tell me if your head starts to hurt, or if you feel nauseated, or—”
Christian grazed her arm. “I promise.”
Satisfied with the decision to leave now, the team rearranged supplies until the weight was evenly distributed. They put on their helmets and followed Christian’s lead across much easier terrain to where they’d—finally—get their answers.
The sky had begun its nightly transformation into a breathtaking tapestry of vibrant colors as its blue sun dipped behind the mountains. Six hours had passed since they had left the temple, and with only the desert laid before them, they hadn’t stopped for more than a few moments at a time, despite dripping sweat with every step they took.
But fatigue was catching up to Gemma, her legs betraying her. Her foot caught on a rock, and she yelped as she almost fell, hands first, onto the sand.
“You okay?” Christian asked through the mic in her helmet.
“I’m fine,” she groaned between heavy breaths.Stars, please let us get there soon. She wasn’t going to last much longer.
As if the galaxy had heard her, Christian pointed the moment they reached the top of a sand dune. “There. The metal thing. That’s the spot.” Even he sounded winded.
That was a bit of a comfort. If the most conditioned person in their group was weary, maybe she wasn’t completely untrained.
Their feet sunk into the soft, shifting sand as they hurried down the red sandbank, each step a cacophony of whispers in the evening air. The surface hardened as they closed in on their landmark, their boots now emitting a faint, dry, crunching sound—drumbeatsof warning.
Gemma’s hairs stood on end. Something about this place made her want to turn and run almost as much as that alien temple had. She took a deep breath, willing her nerves to settle into the back of her mind. They were in the middle of the desert, the ultralights on their vests were on, the dune runners didn’t come out at night.
They were going to be fine.
“This is an outpost?” Imara asked when they’d reached their mark.
The Dissent’s hidden site appeared to be no more than a rusting metal capsule, like a drop ship sent from outer space, having crashed on Reva’s surface hundreds of years ago. A massive hole had been blown into its side, and red sand poured from the gap, forming a ramp into the capsule’s bowels.
Antennae sprung from the ends of the casing though, giving rise to the probability that this was, indeed, a hidden outpost.
Christian’s jaw flexed. “Weapons out. I’ll go first and make sure it’s clear.”
“With one arm?” Colton said. “No way, man. Stay here. I’ll check it out.”
Christian sighed but nodded, relenting.
