Page 3 of The Naga Scavenger’s Precious Mate

If only I could feel my toes, then I’d know if something was nibbling on me or not. Please, anyone, something, save me! This wasn’t how I wanted to go, none of this was. This wasn’t right, it wasn’t fair, and I sure as heck didn’t deserve this.

“Please,” I whispered hoarsely, the sound of my own, ragged voice loud in the confined space. It wasn’t bubbles that escaped my throat, but that just added the fear of my air running out at any second. “Someone, save me.” My plea was going to go unheard, there was nobody down here with me, no one at all. I was alone.

***

Zeidon

It had been days since the skyship came down. I was not amused by how hard it had proven to be to get to the second location. It was like Bitter Storm was out in droves, searching their hillsides and the mountain flank. They were riled up like firesprites, chattering and zigzagging through the woods and across the slate hills.

Armed to the teeth and never alone, I was forced to hide or wait them out. This was not the time to start a one-male war against the most numerous, hostile clan in all of Serant. I stuck to the waterways as much as I could, swimming upriver for much of my route. Much to Srazz’s displeasure, which he let me know all about with his sharp claws in my shoulder, especially when he got his rump wet.

More than once I wondered how I’d ended up with a pet that hated water. A Water Weaver Naga with a water-hating companion was absurd, the water was in my blood just like roaming the territory was. Today something else filled my veins too, a sense of urgency that I could not shake.

It wasn’t like before, when I’d been expectant and excited for that skyship to fall. It felt like I was running out of time. Like something extremely precious was slipping through my claws if I did not hurry.

Stuck in a narrow ravine after a long, arduous swim up an underground river, I was in a rush to locate the secret path out. I had paths around the waterways everywhere I’d roamed, hidden exits out of a territory, or a secret path that connected one river or lake to the next. Paths that my Clan brothers and I spoke about, sharing their secrets, whenever we met up.

Trident firmly in hand, I ignored Srazz as he leaped from my shoulder to scuttle away along the river bank. He probably smelled an enticing female and was off to investigate, maybe there was a particularly juicy patch of Exar berries up ahead. He could take care of himself, the Ayala was extremely good at hiding.

The small animal had only just disappeared ahead of me, out of sight, when I picked up the sounds of Naga behind me. I was being followed. Flicking out my tongue, I drew their scents into my mouth and pressed them up against the scent receptacle. Definitely Bitter Storm, but there were more unusual scents too, something that reminded me of the strange skybeings I had seen at the first part of the wreck.

I picked up my pace, heading up the river bank myself to eye the striations in the ravine walls. Above me, a long slice of violet sky could be seen, bright and cloudless today. I didn’t think more skyships would fall in my vicinity but I didn’t doubt that the Bitter Storm warriors in these hills were on the lookout. I just hoped they hadn’t utterly destroyed what I was searching for.

There it was, my exit! I could faintly hear the voices of my red-scaled brethren at my back. Excited voices as they indicated that they’d found a trail, wetness on the shore where I’d exited the water. It wouldn’t last for more than a couple of dozen feet, and I was an expert at going unnoticed.

Before they could catch sight of me, I reached the narrow crevice. It was hidden behind a long swatch of netted fabric, which had been covered by living, climbing vines. Sliding the thick cover aside, I ducked through it and carefully tucked it all back in place. Then I was slithering up the rocky, steep climb.

Out of the ravine, my head instinctively pointed toward the mountain slope above me. I was so close now. That’s where the rest of that skyship had struck. That’s where I needed to be. Vaguely, I could see the crater it had struck against the rock, and then more hopefully, the shimmer of water beyond that.

A lake. Maybe all wasn’t lost yet. Not for a Water Weaver such as me.

Chapter 3

Farah

I really, really hated how cold I was. I couldn’t recall a single day in Phoenix that it had gotten to temperatures such as these. Though I had a recollection of freezing my butt off once at a pool party when some douche had thrown a pitcher of ice over my head. This was worse and I was thoroughly getting sick of it, and also of the weirdly disjointed passing of time.

Everything was out of order; my memories, my life. Couldn’t I just start over? Or skip back to that day before that stupid meeting and decide to call in sick instead? I fought to open my eyes and do exactly that. Just wish myself back in my little Earth apartment. I would never complain again about how I had to share it with three other women just so we could afford the steep rent in a nice neighborhood.

It felt like I managed to open my eyes, but everything was still dark around me. I felt panic rise again, this endless darkness was so terrifying. Where was I? What was happening? And why couldn’t I move? My hands twitched against my thighs, and a faint light started to reach me. Finally! I could move!

I lifted my hands and they promptly thumped against a hard surface above me. I didn’t know what it was, but the more I moved, the more I felt awareness of my body return. I was trapped in a small box, and when I brushed my fingers over my chest, small electrodes fluttered from my bare skin. That was the clue that solved the giant mystery I’d become trapped in. A stasis pod.

I had no recollection of getting into one, but I could immediately guess who had put me there. I hadn’t been executed, I’d been knocked out and then transported. My heart started racing at the thought of that ultimate betrayal. First, I was accused of a crime I would never commit, then subjected to a media circus aiming to make an example of me, and now this?

My fists curled and I thudded them roughly against the surface above me. Why was I awake, yet this thing hadn’t opened? I had never traveled into space before, so I’d never had reason to be in one of these things. I still knew enough from the media feeds to know that this wasn’t how it was supposed to work.

“Let me out!” I shouted, thumping again with my fist. It was so freaking cold in here, my fingers and toes ached, and my arms felt weak and sluggish. Just a few thumps and I was exhausted, slumping back against the padded surface below me.

I fought against the welling of tears, the burn in my throat. There was no point to any of that, it wouldn’t solve anything. I needed to figure out a way out of here, but I was so tired and so cold. Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to lay still and rest for a beat. If I was this weak, I needed to be smart about it.

My tired mind struggled to figure out a plan. Was there a release button somewhere? Or a way to get leverage against the lid above me? If only I had some light to see by, but there was nothing but blackness that surrounded me. No, that wasn’t true, there was the faintest of light coming from my left. Little lights that indicated the status of the pod most likely, they were all a faint, faded red. I was pretty sure that wasn’t a good sign.

Then there it was, a flare of something over my head. I thought that maybe I was seeing a face above mine. Green and scaly, with bright emerald eyes. It was a beautiful face, masculine and alien, but handsome all the same. Long strands floated like seaweeds around his head in the water. Wait, water? Why was he in the water?

My lungs ached; too late I realized that maybe I was running out of air inside this tiny box. My lungs ached for more reasons than just withheld tears. I heaved in a last deep breath just as the barrier above me slipped away. Ice cold water flooded my pod and the light winked out. I was submerged in darkness while my body seized against the sudden shock; pain radiating through me as everything cramped.

I felt nothing but that pain for long, terrible seconds, and then my brain spun away into confused thoughts. The lack of air was cutting off my ability to stay awake. I felt arms around me, warmth against my side. I felt all that icy water against my skin, dragging me down, or was it up? I was definitely drowning this time, I wasn’t just dreaming it. Water filled my lungs, my nose, my mouth. It was ice cold, so cold it burned and there was nothing I could do but fight to hold on, to stay conscious. It was terrifying, and then it wasn’t; a strange, unnatural calm settling over me.