Across Astral Realms (Astral Alliance Book 1) by Bryan Davis

Author:Bryan Davis [Davis, Bryan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scrub Jay Journeys
Published: 2023-11-06T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nineteen

We scrambled toward the edge of the trench. Just as we leaped clear, water surged down the slope and flooded the trench in a foaming frenzy.

My heart racing, I stared at the flow for a moment before exhaling heavily. “That was close.”

Crystal shouted toward the treetops. “Thanks, Perdantus.”

“You are quite welcome,” he called from a high branch.

“Let’s check the water here,” I said. “It’ll be fresh from the clouds.” I took off my pack and withdrew the test kit, a handheld, battery-operated computer with a screen. After filling a glass tube with water, I inserted the tube in the device and turned it on. A few seconds later, readings filled the screen. “The pH is pretty low, in the orange zone. Lots of minerals. No bacteria to speak of.”

“Then it’s drinkable?” Oliver asked.

“It’s a little acidic.” I poured out the residual water. “Not enough to hurt anything.”

Perdantus landed on my shoulder. “This rainwater cascades into the river less than a kilometer away.”

Oliver looked downstream. “Then what’s our next move? Find a place to set up camp at the river?”

A loud thunderclap shook the ground. I spun and scanned the darkening sky in the direction of the ship. Getting caught in a storm while in a valley would be a terrible idea. “We’d better hustle back. We can try again later.”

Perdantus hopped from my shoulder and took wing. “Listen for my calls.”

We ran upslope. Huge droplets penetrated the canopy and fell on us, soaking our shirts within seconds. Perdantus’s chirps led us onward, but soon the rattle of rain on the leaves and the roar of rampaging water in the nearby trench drowned his voice. No matter. Finding our way back was simple, just follow the trench for two or three kilometers, then angle right until we exited into the meadow.

Yet, rain blinded us, and bending trees made everything seem unfamiliar. Flashes of lightning and peals of thunder assaulted our senses as the cacophony grew.

We stopped and looked around. The trench was no longer in sight. “Which way?” Oliver shouted as water dripped from his nose and chin.

Rain continued pounding, making it hard to think. We needed to head up the hill, but two directions led to higher elevations. The wrong one might get us lost. I searched the trees. Perdantus was nowhere in sight.

I shook my head. “I don’t know. We’ll have to try one and see—”

Something growled. I spun toward the sound. A huge cat prowled down one of the paths. I pointed toward the other one. “That way! Hurry!”

Crystal threw a muffin toward the cat, and we ran together without looking back. We slipped and slid, sometimes having to claw with our hands to scramble up the incline.

Soon, Perdantus chirped from a tree branch to our right. “This way! This way!” As we followed in a mad dash, he flew to tree after tree, making the same call. After a few moments, we broke into a small glade with a log cabin in the middle. We ran to its front porch and stood in the shelter of its overhanging roof, breathing heavily.

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