Page 55 of When Darkness Falls
In the next moment, Therak was standing before her, hands cupping her face. “You’re too merciful, Earthling,” he told her, looking down into her eyes. “I will not take a life today, as is your wish. But I refuse to allow Garfis aboard with us. He did not fulfill his duty to protect a civilian.” Therak carefully passed a thumb next to her split bottom lip. “He chose to side with a murderer, and with him he will now stay.”
Miya nodded. She hadn’t been thrilled about taking the Aldebian with them either, she simply hadn’t wanted to put him in the same boat as Solais. But, in the end, both soldiers were deserters. In most planetary armed forces that was a crime punishable by death.
Therak delivered a quick kiss to her upper lip then stepped away and bent to grab Solais by the tail. “Both of them should remain unconscious long enough for us to get on the shuttle and lock ourselves in. Assuming they even know where it is stored.”
“Right.” Miya watched him drag the Cordalian by the tail across the room and dump him unceremoniously next to Garfis’ unconscious form. It wasn’t necessary to move either soldier, but Therak clearly felt the need to do it. Roughly.
What Miya needed was a longer, proper kiss in case this was her last chance. Given what was coming… But first she needed to actually tell Therak what was coming.
“Let’s go.” He prompted her as he picked the soldiers’ blasters off the floor.
Okay, she would tell him on the way to the exit. Who knew, they might still have time to get safely to the shuttle before–
“Told you you are creative, Miya,” he said, leading the way.
“Huh?”
“You knew how to win me time to regain enough strength to free myself. Then free you.”
“Well…” A pleased smile tugged at her lips. “I did what I could. How did you get out of the cuffs and restraints, anyway?”
He shrugged. “As usual.”
“Telekinesis? I thought you needed to see to be able to move something with your mind?”
“Not if I have seen the object before getting blindfolded. Solais made the mistake of putting the blindfold on last and too late. While he was tying you up and Garfis was distracted by the pain in his crushed leg, I saw all I needed to see. I simply had to wait for the right moment."
Once they turned a corner, Therak looked back at her and continued, "Not enough strength in my body, and my telekinesis would have failed me. And I needed it to both free myself and stop Garfis from shooting before I could help you.”
“You did help me, Therak. But how do you feel now?" The wound on his back looked only half-closed. "Do you need to eat something?”
He shook his head. “I need you safe. You got hurt on my watch.”
“Oh, no, no, don’t you dare feel guilty over some redness on my neck that will fade in a day or two. That was Solais’ fault.” And the twat-blocking alarm’s. “But since you mentioned safety… We may have a problem.”
“The sandstorm.”
“You know?” Miya nearly tripped over her own feet in surprise.
“Yes, I heard what Solais said. We can’t take off because of it even if the shuttle is already charged enough to fly. But we can wait the storm out safely inside the shuttle, correct?”
A nervous giggle escaped Miya. “Waiting inside the shuttle is not the problem. Getting to the shuttle is, if the sandstorm is already here. I’ve seen this type of storm, on that one occasion where I heard the particular sequence of alarm sounds. Therak,… we’re talking clouds of sand capable of blocking the suns’ light.”
To the point where it might as well be night.
27
Potentially-dying Time
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“Absolutely sure?”
“Yes, Miya.”
“Absolutely, totally sure?”