Page 11 of Alien in the Depths

“What’s his story?” Sofia asked.

Zaraq thought about it. “He stole food from the gods and was punished by never being allowed to eat anything ever again.”

“Jeepers,” Sofia said. “Gods are such dicks. Aren’t they?”

As the monastery caverns grew even darker with the setting sun, Sofia suggested they make their way back to camp for the night.

“You want to sleep here?” he asked, assuming they would be flying back to the annex.

“Of course!” Sofia replied. “How else are we going to know if the stories about the ghost monks are true if we don’t stick around?”

Her pack had a pair of sleeping bags, a fire starter, and cans of rations. Watching her light the small bundle of wood beneath the stars triggered a memory of his younger days.

A cold hand pulled at his heart. Despite how much time he spent on his own, he knew that people who care about each other share things. Sofia had told him all about her failed career as a ghost hunter, about the loss of her parents, and the trip across an endless sea of blackness. Wasn’t it wrong to keep his own past a secret?

Not if I want to keep her safe, he decided.

They ate, laughed, and shared more stories about other haunted spots around Thryal. Seeing the joy with which she discussed such things made him want to spend as much time as he could exploring them with her. She had an infectious enthusiasm, and he’d been bitten by the paranormal bug.

They slept beneath the Thryal sky. Zaraq dreamed of his childhood and his life moving from place to place. He saw blood and heard screams echoing through eternity.

Jolting awake, he noticed that it was still dark. Sofia slept peacefully beside him, her breathing easy and rhythmic. He moved to reach over and caress her hair.

His hand dripped with blood.

“Look what you did, Z-boy,” a deep, craggy voice said from the darkness of the trees surrounding them. “I guess that beast inside you got out.”

Zaraq clamped his eyes closed and counted to ten. When he opened them again, the blood was gone. He scanned the trees. No one was there.

As he lay back down and turned on his side, he realized these ruinswerehaunted but not by peaceful monks. The only ghosts around here were the ones he brought with him.

The flight back to the capital was an uncomfortable one. The roles between Zaraq and Sofia had completely flipped. She was her usual talkative, comedic, and bubbly self while he remained quiet and introspective. A pit had been growing deeper and deeper in his stomach, and if he wanted to keep himself from falling into it, he needed to come clean about his past.

“You good?” Sofia asked as they approached the landing platforms bordering the city.

The question startled him, and he couldn’t hide it. “Uh…yeah,” he said. “Didn’t sleep all that well.”

“Oh, me neither.” She arched her back, stretching. “There must’ve been a root or something digging into my back. Still managed to sleep through the night, though. I guess that’s why Carmen is the princess and I’m not.”

Zaraq tilted his head, confused.

Sofia sighed. “Duh. You don’t have the story of the princess and the pea all the way out here. Never mind.”

They went to Sofia’s quarters upon their return. Both of them were exhausted and didn’t feel much like making conversation with the family. When the door shut behind them, the silence threatened to crush Zaraq.

“You can just throw your stuff in the corner,” she said. “I’ll shower real quick. Then we can get some dinner. Are you hungry?” Her eyes caught his, and he saw that she’d noticed something was wrong.

Instead of acting concerned, Sofia huffed. “Jesus, man. What the hell is up with you?”

Zaraq didn’t answer. He only blinked, trying to find somewhere else to look in the room rather than at her.

“No, cut that shit out. Don’t ignore me.” Sofie stomped into his eyeline. She folded her arms and scowled better than anyone in the history of scowling.

“There’s something you’re not telling me,” she said. “Alotof somethings based on the way you acted at dinner the other night. Spill it. All of it.Now.”

Zaraq’s mind spun in a million different directions, unable to find a proper place to start. Sensing her growing displeasure, he decided to open his mouth and see what came out.

“I like you,” he said. “More than I thought I could like anyone. That… disturbs me.”