Severed Ties by Kris Ruhler

Author:Kris Ruhler [Kris Ruhler]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kris Ruhler
Published: 2022-09-29T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 7

Kyel didn’t appear. Belor and Khara waited in silence all afternoon and then into the night. After the day’s scorching heat, the night breeze whipped its chilly fingers across their faces. Unlike the previous night, there were no boulders to shelter them, so he and Khara huddled against the cliff. Belor’s clothes, damp from sweat, made the matter worse.

Belor hoped Nyko would turn up soon. What happened to Kyel’s brother? He was supposed to be around. He wondered about this place, about the sand twirling away like twisting monsters. His first worry was their meager rations. They had only a few bars and candies that Dareen had packed. How long would they survive on this? Khara didn’t complain. Nor did she ask for any food. She must be as much hungry as he was, if not more.

They also had only one water canteen—courtesy of Nix. The thought of the traitor brought a surge of fury inside him. Then it faded away.

Belor was slowly realizing the lengths people would go to for measly scraps. No doubt Skord paid Nix well to deliver the Aeterna. Would Belor have done the same if he were in Nix’s shoes? Would he betray Khara? The idea was ludicrous, and Belor vowed that even if he were on the brink of death, he would do the right thing.

As if reading his dejected thoughts, Khara said sleepily, “We’ll be all right.”

Belor didn’t reply. He glanced at the arch on the side of the mountain. Had Kyel been taken prisoner? No, he’d been adamant about that.

The sun was peeking above the horizon. The sight filled Belor with dread. He wasn’t looking forward to another day under the scorching sun. He debated whether crossing these sand dunes was a good idea. But which direction to pick? Where could Nyko be? The dunes stretched far into the horizon. For all he knew, they could walk for days and not find any cities or Nyko.

Surviving in this place seemed darn impossible. There was no food or water. They needed to find people and a city. What skills or belongings did he have to trade? Other than a few vials and patches, he had nothing. But he had two arms and legs and was prepared to work hard. He had a child he was responsible for. Until Kyel turned up and—

“My father isn’t coming,” Khara said suddenly.

Belor flinched and turned away again. Did she have a mind-reading ability? Aeternas could mind-talk, but reading someone else’s mind was entirely different.

“He can still make it across,” he said. “It’s not too late. Let’s give it a day or two.”

“I heard his voice before I crossed. It sort of sounded muffled, then there was a silence. Like it was dark and empty. Then this door was gone too.”

Belor’s first thought was that “muffled” was a big word for a four-year-old. He didn’t understand what she meant by dark and empty silence. But Khara wasn’t an average child, he told himself. Slowly, her words sank in.

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