Haven 6 (18 page)

“Get away from me. You’ve done enough as it is,” he shouted, spittle flying from his lips.

Eri stepped back. She couldn’t imagine the pain Striver was going through. What if Aquaria joined the enemy?

“Come on, Striver, we have to go,” Riley shouted. “Eri, I need your laser light to guide the way.”

Eri checked her locater. They’d been in the cave for forty minutes and it would take them another twenty to get out. “Striver…”

Desperation shone in his gaze. “I can’t leave him.”

Time pulled on Eri until she felt ripped in two directions. Litus and Mars needed her. They probably hadn’t had food or water for days, and another fight might be too much. But she owed her life—and theirs—to Striver. She couldn’t bear seeing him in pain.

She dropped her laser to the floor and slid it over to Riley. “You lead them out. The light’s the button on the right side. I unlocked it, so be careful.”

Riley picked up her laser and nodded. Litus shouted after her, “Eri, what are you going to do?”

“We’ll be right behind you.” Eri turned to Striver. There was no way Riley would help him, and Mars and Litus were too weak. If she wanted Striver to move, she needed to take initiative. Eri put a hand on his shoulder and whispered, “I’ll get his feet. You get his shoulders. We’ll drag him out.”

Striver’s eyes reflected hope and fear. “You know he’ll slow our escape.”

Eri squeezed his shoulder. “You helped me rescue my team. I’m going to help you recue your brother.”

Striver nodded and breathed out in relief. He ripped off pieces of his shirt and gagged Weaver before he could react. Eri avoided the blind hatred in Weaver’s gaze as she tied his feet with another strip of fabric.

“You sure you can lift him?” Striver asked.

Eri wasn’t sure of anything except that she wanted to help Striver more than anything in the world. “We’ll see.”

They hefted Weaver up, Striver bearing most of the weight, and carried him to the mouth of the tunnel. Eri yanked at Weaver’s feet to catch up to the others, but Striver turned back. “What is it?”

“The golden liquid from Soren’s tale.” Striver’s face paled. “The legend is true.”

Eri resisted the urge to yell. Yes, it was pretty neat, and she’d love to stay and decipher the symbols, but Jolt would be here any minute, and they needed to get Mars and Litus to safety. She spoke in a careful, calm voice, with an underside of authority. “Striver, we can’t stay.”

“I know, I know.” He tore his gaze away, blinking as if the light were too bright.

Weaver struggled at first, but he gave up as they entered the darkness. Eri wondered if he realized he could do nothing to stop them, or if he had crafted another plan of escape for later on.

It didn’t matter. Carrying him was the only way to get Striver out of that cave.

The others were so far ahead they couldn’t see their light. Eri stifled a current of worry and pressed the keypad on her locator. Her arm lit up with the dim neon glow. “That’s all I have.”

“It’s plenty.” Striver sounded so thankful, it warmed her heart. He’d helped her for so long, it gratified her to help him in return.

Striver entered the tunnel first, stumbling ahead using her dim light source.

Carrying a full-grown man through the tunnel was more difficult than she thought. Sweat dripped down her forehead as she followed Striver, gripping Weaver’s feet. Every step was a hurdle, trying to balance Weaver’s weight, step around jagged rocks, and stomp away the spidermites. She kept glancing at her locator, still set on Litus’s life signs, to see how much longer they had to go.

When the signal stopped moving and blinked in the same place, she knew they waited for her outside the cave. Huffing, she whispered to Striver, “We’re almost there.”

Relief trickled through her when she spotted the slim crack of silvery moonlight. They emerged from the cave into the night, and the humid air of Haven 6 had never smelled so fresh.

“Over here.” Riley’s whisper carried through the darkness like a beacon of light. Striver whipped around in the direction of his voice, his tired muscles tightening as he hauled Weaver down the slope and into the night. He didn’t want Eri carrying the brunt of the weight. He already felt guilty accepting her help, but he couldn’t have left his only brother in that cave to die.

Eri followed him, hefting Weaver’s feet. Her actions back in the cave and her perseverance carrying Weaver to safety knocked his boots off. This was not the work of someone trying to steal his home.

In the dark of night, Striver realized he trusted Eri even more.

“They’re over there, behind that thicket,” Eri whispered. “I can see Litus’s locator blinking.”

“He should turn it off.”

“He kept it on for us.”

They reached the thicket, pushing through the ferns to relative safety. Riley pounced on them. “You brought that scum with you?”

“What did you think we were doing back there? Fishing?” Striver glanced at all the faces waiting for them to emerge from the cave and guilt spread through him like poison. “They’d kill him if we left him behind.”

Riley jabbed a finger in Striver’s chest. “That’s a choice he made when he left us. What are we going to do, throw him in some village jail? Watch him every minute until he jumps the fence again?”

“Enough!” Mars pushed herself between him and Riley. “Which way to safety?”

Riley sighed as if they’d already been caught. “This way. We’ll sneak back through the swamp and skirt their sentinels.”

Eri peered through the ferns. “They’ll chase us until we reach the fence.”

“Then we’ll move fast and hide in the thickest trees.” Riley gestured toward Eri. “Let me take the weight.” He sounded weary, resigned to the inevitable.

Eri glanced at Striver with a questioning look.

“It’s fine, thank you, Eri.” Striver nodded over to what was left of her team. “You’ve done more than enough. See to your friends. Take them to the jungle, and we’ll catch up.”

She nodded, hefting Weaver’s feet into Riley’s arms. “Careful. He kicks.”

Disgust soured Riley’s face. “I wouldn’t be surprised.”

“Lower him.” Striver gestured toward a patch of moss a half meter away.

Riley waddled over with Striver and crouched down just enough to throw Weaver’s feet on the ground. He landed with a
thump
. “What? Now you’re going to leave him?”

“Look for two branches.” Striver pulled a blanket out of his backpack. “We’re making a stretcher.”

“Great idea, doctor.” Riley’s voice dripped with sarcasm, but he found one long branch and cracked it in half. “Wouldn’t it be easier if we forgot he even existed?”

“Leaving him is not an option.” Striver tied the ends of the blanket to the branches. “You can either help me or wait while I finish.”

Riley harrumphed as he bent to help. When the blanket was secure, they hefted Weaver on and hoisted up the stretcher. The weight was more evenly distributed, and Striver could walk much easier. “See, now let’s catch up to the others.”

…

Eri chatted with the other members of her team as they led the way across the plains to the jungle.

Striver hoped to learn more about her by studying her interactions with her team. She seemed happy to see them. Mars kept her distance, but Litus hugged her close to him, sending a current of jealousy through Striver’s chest. Who was this man she’d risked so much to save? As Striver and Riley caught up, snippets of their conversation rode the air.

“I knew you’d save us. I just didn’t think you’d come yourself. Look at you! You’ve turned into quite the warrior.” Litus sounded so proud, it made Striver wonder what Eri had been like on the ship.

“I had to. Commander Grier refused to send help.” Eri couldn’t hide the bitterness in her voice. Striver knew she didn’t like the commander, but he thought he was the only one that she confided in.

“Why?” Litus’s voice fell to a whisper and Striver had to shuffle forward faster to hear him over the mating calls of swillow wisps penetrating the night.

Eri glanced back at Striver and Riley, almost as if she was checking to see if they listened in on their conversation. Striver gazed down at Weaver, pretending to tighten his brother’s gag.

“She’s afraid more of our people will get hurt or killed.”

“I’ll hail her and report in when we get to safety.” Litus tripped and Eri caught him. The imprisonment must have weakened him. Damn the Lawless for driving a wedge in their relations with the newcomers.

Eri opened her mouth to say more and snapped it closed. She nodded. “We’ll speak of this later.”

Their conversation cast a storm cloud over the whole rescue. Striver had gone from developing feelings for her, trusting her, and now to this. There was so much about Eri and her life aboard the
Heritage
he didn’t know. As a leader he couldn’t allow his feelings for Eri to affect his decision making. Already, it had made him swoon like a fool.

They reached the jungle by dawn, the entire party lagging. Muscles aching, Striver stopped and called out, “We need to rest.”

Eri, Litus, and Mars turned around, waiting for them to catch up.

“What if the Lawless are right on our tails?” Riley whispered as they pushed through waist-high ferns, approaching the rest of the party.

“I’ll go back and scout the area. Watch over the others and make sure they eat and get some rest.”

“What about you?”

Striver shrugged. “Guess we’ll have to take turns.”

They caught up with the rest of the party before Riley could disagree. They placed Weaver down on a mossy slope. “Watch over him, and don’t untie him, no matter what he says.” Striver gave his brother a steely eye.

“Where are you going?” Eri stepped forward, her forehead wrinkled in concern.

“Someone’s got to make sure they’re not on our heels.”

Litus nodded in agreement and Mars plopped down by Weaver, giving him a wary look.

Eri stepped toward Striver. “I’ll go with you.”

“No, you need to rest with the others. Besides, two people will make more commotion than one.” He turned, facing the long path they’d taken into the jungle. The thought of more walking made his legs scream in protest, but someone had to make sure the Lawless weren’t pursing them.

“Striver.” Eri grabbed his arm and tugged so hard he turned back around. “It’s dangerous. Are you sure?”

Her cheeks were flushed from exertion and her lips pouted, slightly open. For a lingering second he wanted to bend down and kiss her good-bye. His logical mind kicked in just in time and he settled for placing his hand on hers with a small squeeze. Her fingers were so cold he wanted to blow warm air on them and hold them close to his chest to warm them. “I’ll be fine.”

“Don’t worry about Striver; he’s silent as the dead and swift as the wind,” Riley muttered.

Striver wondered if all this communication with Eri was giving his feelings away. He pulled back and straightened his arrow bag against his back. “If they come, don’t wait for me.”

…

Eri’s chest ached as Striver disappeared into the jungle. He hadn’t had any food or rest since the previous morning, and he sacrificed his own safety for the rest of them. No wonder his village had elected him as ruler. She’d only known him a few days, and in her eyes he was a hero.

A little too heroic, handsome, and charming.

“Boar’s meat, anyone?” Riley announced, opening his backpack.

“I’m starving.” Mars pulled off her boot and rubbed the sole of her foot.

“Me, too.” Litus breathed heavily and Eri wondered if he’d caught a sickness while imprisoned. Hopefully Striver’s tribe had been able to save her team’s medical equipment, so she could check him when they returned to the village.

Riley pulled a piece from his stash and threw them the rest. “Help yourselves. I’m going to keep watch.” Chewing on the meat, he climbed the nearest tree.

After watching Striver leave, Eri wasn’t hungry, but she knew she needed to eat to keep up her stamina. Finding a seat on a rotting log, she dug in her backpack and pulled out the massive package Striver had packed for her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Weaver watching her. Maybe he was hungry? “What about Weaver?”

“I guess, but one of us will have to feed him, ’cause I’m not going to undo his bindings.” Balancing on a wide branch, Riley popped another piece of boar’s meat in his mouth.

“I will.” Eri volunteered on Striver’s behalf. This was his brother, and Striver loved him enough to carry him through hundreds of meters of swamp even after he deserted the village.

“Go ahead.” Riley flicked his fingers like tossing trash on the wind. “I only hope he doesn’t spit at you when you take off his gag. He’s known to backstab.”

“Or give away our location,” Mars growled.

“If he utters anything above a whisper, I’ll shoot an arrow in his neck from where I sit.” Riley unpacked his bow and hung it on a nearby branch.

“Why do we have to take him with us, anyway?” Mars chewed on a piece of meat. “You said he’s a traitor.”

“Because Striver doesn’t give up on anything or anyone.” Riley chewed and swallowed hard, as if he had trouble swallowing the whole idea of Weaver even being with them.

Mars shrugged. “Should have killed him when you had the chance.”

Riley shook his head like someone beaten in a game. “I couldn’t. It would have killed Striver as well.”

Litus swallowed and waved his hand at Mars. “It’s like our people on the
Heritage
. We value each life and the precious DNA held within it. Our mission is to further our species. When someone does something wrong, they aren’t killed, but conditioned and taught until they understand their place in our society.”

“Sounds like tyranny to me.” Riley sat back, spreading his legs out on the branch in front of him.

“Yes, but we don’t have renegades out there to tie us up and kill us,” Mars shot back with a mean half smile.

Eri stuffed another piece in her mouth, the cold, salted version not as tasty as freshly roasted. She kneeled in front of Weaver. He stared at her with intensity in his eyes, looking like he’d curse her, bite her, or worse. He didn’t have the same distinction in his features as his brother, but he could be considered handsome if he wasn’t so mean.