Chapter 157
"How do we get there? Can I get there through this settlement." Tempest surged forward. There was no disguising her need to see these so called other humans.
There was a very real chance that they weren’t humans at all. Maybe they were people from another planet who just so happened to look like her.
Maybe they were grown here in some sort of petri dish, or something like that.
There were a million questions that Tempest wanted the answers to and this man wasn’t answering them fast enough for her.
"Yes, there is a path but it’s dangerous. If we ever need to get to that location we usually just walk around." The man shrugged his shoulders.
Tempest knew the shoulder shrug meant something different on this planet but just seeing him make the motion made the entire interaction that much more frustrating.
No one could understand how important this was to Tempest.
"I don’t care how dangerous it is. I need to get there. Show me which way to go." Tempest turned and started looking around as if a magical trail would suddenly appear.
"I’m sorry, I can’t do that. Besides, you would never make it on your own. Some of our strongest alphas have fallen going down that path. It’s best that you wait for the rest of your team to be ready."
Tempest knew Aliq was right. She was acting too rashly. The same thing she just promised Dron that she wouldn’t do. What good was trying to find the human settlement if she died before she could get there.
She took a breath and turned back to Aliq.
"You seem to know a lot about this area and the settlement. Have you spent a lot of time with the humans."
"We’ve all gone there at least once or twice. None of us have spent much time there, though. As for the rest of the land, yes, I’m very knowledgeable. It’s my motherland after all."
Tempest was finally focused on something else. "You were born here. In Skoq?"
"Yes. My mother and I have lived on this island for our entire lives."
"What about your father?"
"He’s from Uspanx. He was called back to serve in the military. Unfortunately, we haven’t heard from him in many moon cycles. My mother fears that he is lost to the great battle."
The great battle.
Tempest wasn’t sure but she had a strange feeling that this great battle was death.
"I’m sorry that he’s not with you." It was the only thing she could think to say.
"It’s appreciated but not necessary. If he truly has fallen in the great battle, then he is with the moon goddess and that’s better than anything we have here in Skoq."
Tempest nodded her head, "So tell me more about Skoq. I’ll be honest, I don’t know much about Ustea as a whole but based on what I’ve been told in Thraqe this land is supposed to be inhabitable."
"Of course that’s what they told you. They want you to think Thraqe is the best thing that could ever happen to you. I’m not going to lie and tell you that it’s not easier to live there, but we make due with what we have here in Skoq. At least all the leaders are held to a certain standard. There’s checks in place for them."
Tempest knew that was something the high royals didn’t have in Thraqe, at least not truly. They made it seem as if they were all about the people but Tempest saw firsthand in the poor class that it wasn’t the case.
"Do you live here full time in the strong hold?"
"For now. I’m hoping that once the danger has gone I’ll be able to go back home."
Tempest crossed her arms gently over her chest, "Tell me about your home."
Aliq’s eyes brightened again. It was clear he missed it and truly loved this land.
"Oh, my home is wonderful. Being a soldier, I don’t make much money but we have enough to have a nice sized dwelling. My mother farms. She grows some of the sweetest fruit. So much of it sometimes that we have to make sweets and delicacies people travel over borders to get. She makes quite a bit of money when it’s time to harvest. We live near a sand pit that always seems to give great game."
"Game? Like animals?"
"Mostly aquatic but there are a few beasts that travel to drink from the sand pit."
Tempest couldn’t understand what he was saying. How was it possible that they were drinking from the sand pit?
"How...you drink sand on this planet?"
"No, not us, but some of the animals have evolved so that they are able to get the nourishment they need from the arid ground.
Tempest was amazed. She couldn’t help but think about the line from Jurassic Park. Life surely does find a way.
Aliq went on and on about his land, and Tempest found herself completely enthralled by what he was saying. She wanted to know all she could about Skoq. She wanted to be able to go back to Thraqe and tell everyone who would listen about what they were missing out on. It would be a hard sell for some but Tempest knew there were others who were so desperate they’d see Skoq as an Eden of sorts.
A way to start over. To have a better life.
When he was finally finished talking about his home, Aliq went quiet. The silence was a bit uncomfortable. Tempest still wasn’t tired and there was more that she could learn about.
"What about this strong hold. What do you know about it."
His eyes lit up again. He was a teacher. In a different life, on a different planet, Aliq would have made a great teacher.
"This is one of the newer strongholds we’ve been able to build and it’s not even finished yet. When it’s finished I doubt there will be anyone who will be able to penetrate the walls. Crilium believes that it will be the end of the war. If the others can’t get to us they can’t attack us. Finally, some peace."
This saddened Tempest.
"Are you talking about the soldiers from Thraqe, that’s who you are trying to keep out."
"Not just Thraqe. Unfortunately, we’ve got people from Uspanx after us. People from Skoq who don’t like this clan or that one. Everyone is just trying to get ahead and they think war is the way to do that."
Tempest sighed, she knew that mindset. The people on earth were the same way. They saw something they thought they needed, and instead of trying to get it the right way, they decided just to kill off the people who’ve already gotten it. It never ends well.
"That’s rough. This place looks amazing, though." Tempest looked around. Her eyes jerked in the direction where she’d last seen Rynax and noticed he wasn’t there anymore. She was sure that he wasn’t going to go with Gerax and Mexyn. Where had he disappeared to. She tried her hardest not to care too much.
It was harder than she wanted it to be. She was still angry at him but that didn’t mean she wanted anything to happen to him. He’d done his job, the wrong way, but he’d still done it. He kept them safe to the best of his ability.
"Yeah, we have a very skilled blacksmith. He’s taken on several apprentices who show a real talent for making the weaponry we need. We’ve got stores of food. We’ve even got a bathhouse."
That piqued Tempest’s interest. A bathhouse. With water? She’d been walking through the burning sand for so long that thinking about getting into the water instantly put her at ease.
"Can I see it? I mean, is it too late?" Tempest asked excitedly.
"Sure, you’re our guest. You can see whatever you like." Aliq shrugged his shoulders softly. "Would you like me to take you there now?"
"Yes, please." Tempest nodded.
Slowly, they made their way from where they were standing. They spoke a little more, and it didn’t even dawn on Tempest to watch her surroundings. She was so interested in what Aliq was saying, and out of everyone she’d met so far, he’d seemed the most trustworthy. It wasn’t until the very last of the light started to die away that she realized that he’d led her down a very narrow road.
She didn’t remember the way back, and there was no one that she could see who would hear her if she called out for help.
The red flags in her mind instantly started to wave.
"Oh...I didn’t realize the bathhouse was so far away. I shouldn’t be back here." She was feeling more and more uncomfortable with every step that she took. The problem was she couldn’t turn back because Aliq was blocking the path.
"It’s not that much further. Right in there." He pointed to a small opening. It wasn’t a house like she was expecting but more of an opening in the cave itself.
It was dark in there.
"No, I don’t think I should go."
Aliq didn’t stop moving forward, which caused Tempest to have to take a few more steps forward toward the dark cave.
"Why not? You seemed so interested in seeing the bathhouse before. What has changed?" He asked, his voice soft.
Tempest knew there was no way that she would be able to fight him. Even with the training that Rynax had been giving her, she didn’t have her staff with her, and Aliq was a trained soldier. She was completely out of her depth.
"Nothing has changed. It’s just..." She thought long and hard about what she could do to get out of this situation. She didn’t want to offend the man, but she also didn’t want to be alone with him or whoever else was lying in wait for her in that cave.
"It’s just what?" Aliq questioned taking another step forward.
They were right at the edge of the cave now. She couldn’t see inside very well; there was a narrow path, and it was so low she would have to bend to get inside.
"I have a mate. A fated mate, actually. I don’t think he would like me going in here without some protection." Tempest spat out. The ’I have a boyfriend’ card was all she had to play.
Aliq huffed, "There goes that mistrust I was talking about earlier. There’s nothing that can hurt you in there. I’m not here to harm you either. I just want you to see more about our land. Go on. You’ll love it. I promise. I’ll stand out here on guard until you are finished. You won’t be bothered. I assure you."
Tempest turned to look at the man. There was no subterfuge she could see on his face. He didn’t look as if he were lying to her.
There was nothing more for her to do but to find out if this was another trick or not. "Okay, if you’re sure." She smiled at Aliq and prayed that he was a man of his word.
Slowly, Tempest bent over and walked through the small opening. The space got narrower and narrower. Every few seconds she would look over her shoulder just to make sure Aliq wasn’t rushing in behind her. He hadn’t moved from the opening of the cave as he promised.
Suddenly, the space opened up, and there were a few torches lining the walls. There was no one else in the space.
Tempest felt like an idiot. How could she possibly move forward with her time here on this planet if she weren’t willing to give anyone she met a little grace? She really had to work on her trust issues.
She felt even worse when she looked down and saw what Aliq was so proud of.
It wasn’t just a bathhouse. It was a full-blown hot spring.
Steam billowed up from the water, beckoning Tempest forward. She was out of her clothes in an instant and slowly lowering herself into the pure water.
All the tension released from her body, and she sighed in relief.
For the first time in a long while, she felt like everything would be alright.
She’d finally get back to Dron. Mexyn found her love once again. Gerax was in his element with all the research.
Everything was going to be fine.
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⏸ PAUSE■ STOP