“Whoa!”She stared at the vast expanse of geysers and bubbling mud pools.“This isn’t on your map.”
“No.”
“That answers our question about the volcano.It’s more likely dormant.”
“The diversion will take us an extra cycle.”
Scarlett shrugged.“We need to make camp soon, anyway.At least the ground will be warm.This place can get cold at night.I’ve camped on this side of the planet.”
“Yes,” Ransom said, his voice grim.
Sympathy filled her on glimpsing his face.He looked resigned to his fate because they knew the prince would come to Ransom tonight.And if Ransom failed to appease the man, who knew what might happen next?
Ransom scanned the flat valley, and foreboding jumped in his gut.He’d hoped this trip might be a quick one.He should’ve known better.
“Which way do we walk?”Scarlett pointed at a trail branching off from the one on which they stood.“This goes in the right general direction.”
“Let’s go.We’ll stop once we find a suitable place to camp for the blacklight.”
Ransom forced his aching limbs into motion and prayed he remained upright.He’d lost fitness while he’d been in the coma, and it was taking time to recover.As for Scarlett, she seemed as fresh as when they’d left the ship.
A faint smile curved his lips when he thought of his sister Jacinta.Her idea of fun was relaxing in a resort with friends or attending parties at the luxurious homes of her Dalcon friends.Scarlett Mitchell was feminine, yet she bore an inner core of strength.She hadn’t panicked when he’d grabbed her, and once he’d explained, she’d become more cooperative.The woman preferred to use her brain rather than her beauty to make her way through life, and he appreciated the quality.As much as he loved his sister, she did little to contribute to the family coffers.
A loud howl came from nearby, the shrill sound raising the hair at his nape.
“What the frying fungus was that?”
“Pass.”
“What did Daenys say?Another tribe or animals?”Scarlett’s frown dug deep as the howl repeated.“Something about that sound raises goosebumps on my arms.I don’t want to meet whatever is making that noise.”
“Me neither,” Ransom agreed.“It sounds far away.”
“I hear water,” Scarlett said.
Ransom tilted his head.He didn’t—wait, she was right.“You have excellent hearing.”
The mystery creature’s howl echoed through the surrounding mountains.
She grimaced, scanning their surroundings.“I wish I didn’t.That is one freaky sound.”
“We’d better keep moving,” he said, leading the way.Much safer than following Scarlett.One: his dragon didn’t have a chance to perv at her curvy form.And two: he could keep a better handle on his festering guilt.If the prince prevailed, Scarlett would never leave Narenda.
Ransom forced himself to drag one heavy foot after the other.He hauled his aching body up hills and skidded down slopes, his mind full of a monotonous chant.One-two.One-two.One-two.The red dust from the rocks irritated his scratchy eyes.
“Wait,” Scarlett said.“I’m going to fill my water bottle.”
“The water might contain diseases or impurities.”
“We have no choice,” she whispered.“Besides, I have a cast-iron stomach.”
He stared at her, slow to understand her words.
“I’ve drunk the water before and have never been sick,” she explained.“Give me your bottle.I’ll fill yours too.”
“Thanks.”
Scarlett completed the task in half the time he would’ve, and shame filled him.He was a liability.A liar.They continued their trek in silence.Tired of his tortured thoughts and counting, Ransom was about to speak when Scarlett halted.
