Allie's Match: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance Novella by Miranda Martin

Author:Miranda Martin [Martin, Miranda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-02-07T00:00:00+00:00

8

BALAN

Pain throbs as my awareness returns. The fire crackles, yellow-orange flames licking across fresh sticks that lie on top of it. As my eyes find focus, there are dancing shapes in the coals. I blink and the shapes coalesce into a face.

Allie.

I shift and the pain blossoms. I groan and Bahr moves to my side, offering water. I sip from the skin. The cold brings a welcome relief. I had not realized how dry my throat was. It is like washing down sand.

“Thank you,” I say, then try to sit up.

Which is a terrible idea. White pain blinds me and I drop back to the ground.

“Slow,” Bahr says.

He gets an arm under my shoulders then helps me to a sitting position. It is painful but nothing that I cannot withstand. He digs into his pack and offers some smoked meats. I take a piece and try to eat but chewing also hurts.

“How long was I out?”

Bahr shrugs then looks up at the sky. It is still night. The sides of the ravine frame a dark sky. There is no visible moon, but the stars are bright and beautiful. Staring up, the constellations form Allie’s face.

The universe, no Tajss, is sending its message loud and clear. I am hurt, but alive, which easily might not have been the case. How can I risk dying not having claimed my treasure?

Nothing is more important than her.

The dragon roars the truth, thundering in the pulsing of my hearts, pounding in the flow of my blood. She is mine. I am hers. The Order, oaths, mistakes, none of that matters. She and I, we are meant to be. Ordained by Tajss itself.

I joined the Order, swore my vows, because I knew that Tajss itself was dying. That we had to act to save our planet. Through its teachings and hard work, we have done what we can to guide Tajss to her ultimate rebirth. Ignoring this truth would be a deeper betrayal of my vows than leaving the Order.

“It is corrupt,” I murmur.

“Harumph,” Bahr agrees. He understands without the need for explanation.

I give up trying to chew the smoked meat. It is too tough and my jaw hurts. I push it into my cheek and wait for it to soften.

“You were talking about the young ones,” I remind him.

Bahr shrugs as he resumes his position on the opposite side of the fire. Picking up a stick, he pokes at the flames causing sparks to fly. The glowing embers dance in an eddy of wind between us. I wait for him to speak.

“Yes,” he says at last. “The young ones. ‘Born’ after the Devastation.”

“Yes, but you did not explain what you were thinking. I know they are different, but you called them more loyal.”

“Fanatical.”

“It is not a stretch that we all fit that label.”

He grunts and falls silent, poking his stick in and out of the coals. I shift my weight, trying to find a position that hurts less.

“We need to head back,” he says finally.

Yes, the dragon rumbles agreement.

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