“I can help you find what you are looking for.” The idea of helping him complete his mission and leave so quickly fills me with disappointment. “After the sun comes up.”
He rubs his arms. “I do have time, but…” He clicks his wrist jewelry, then hesitates. He tucks it away into his sleeve. “I…don’t want to trouble you.”
“It is no trouble at all. I must insist. After all, this is my region, my responsibility. What are you searching for?”
He gazes at me with trepidation. “I’m not supposed to say. It’s private.”
“Does it have to do with your witchcraft?”
The stranger’s eyebrows jump. “Between the metal weapon that felled you and the jewelry that continues to show various moving images, it is very evident that you have powers.”
He sighs and his shoulder slumps. “Not powers. Just like…extremely fancy technology.” The stranger stares at the fire. “I could get in a lot of trouble if I tell you about my work.”
I move closer on the silk sheet, my knees tantalizingly close to his. “As a prince, I hold many secrets.” He looks at me, and the orange glow on his face reveals his interest. “What is one more?”
I smirk, and his hand idly taps his knee. “Let me help you, Carmine Listo. You have my word as a royal in the Xing Empire.”The stranger nods in resolve and he pulls back his sleeve—success!
“This isn’t witchcraft. It’s…a very special device. Everything I have is advanced technology from far, far away.” I gaze at the steel cuff on his wrist. The images swirl in blue, and I gasp lightly. He claims it is not witchcraft, but I have never witnessed images move before, or blue lights shift in such a manner.
“This is harnessed lightning?”
“Sort of. But it won’t hurt. See, my job is to retrieve…this.” He clicks the cuff, and the blue lights swirl to reveal sphere with hexagons patterned on it. “This is the Astral Jade Sphere. It does not belong in your, um…kingdom. It came from the stars, and the longer it remains here, it endangers everyone on your Earth.”
My pulse picks up when a truth dawns on me. “I saw this!”
“What?” he asks. The image blinks away.
“It did come from the sky. I witnessed it one night in the woods. I fell on a rock, and it jabbed into my abdomen. I was lying there bleeding, and a green orb fell from the stars yards away from me.” I scramble to lie on my side. After lifting up my cloak, Listo leans forward to gaze at my skin.
“A warm green glow bathed me in light, then the orb disappeared. In its wake, I had this.” I lift up my shirt to reveal a tiny hexagonal dark spot above my pelvic bone and below my ribs. “No more wound, no bleeding, no pain. Just this tiny mark.”
“Fascinating,” the stranger says. “The Astral Jade Sphere marked you.” When he looks up, we both realize at the same time how close he is to my skin. A charge grows between us, and suddenly he is much too close to my groin.Or too far…
He moves back quickly and the moment is lost. Of course, what am I thinking? It is dangerous to get involved with someone who is…
“You are not from this planet, are you? You hail from the stars, yes?”
He looks panicked then gulps. When he quickly stands up, I follow. “I should go.”
“No, wait.” I grab his wrist to prevent him from leaving. “I have no ill will against you. I still want to help.”
“You don’t have to.”
“My duty is to my kingdom. Did you not say this sphere endangers us?”
He nods. “Yes. If it stays here it threatens to, um, unravel the land.”
I do not know what he means, but I cannot let him go. “Then it is imperative I assist you. Your hero’s journey will be easier with me.”
“Hero’s journey?” he asks with a half-smile.
“Yes. You are trying to protect us, are you not?”
He seems to ponder my words, looking down at where I still hold him. His skin is so smooth. “I’ve already said too much,” he says slowly. “This is my mission. I need to walk up the mountain, and—”
“Walking up at night is a death sentence. Please, Carmine Listo.” He gazes at me again, eyes reaching into my soul. “Stay the night in my tent. And tomorrow, I will help you.”
“I am pretty tired.” He nods, and I let go. “Okay. But I will go first thing in the morning to scale the mountain.”
