Authors: Kelly Beltz
“No, I just have a healthy respect for them,” I lied somewhat convincingly. Of course I was afraid. What was I, stupid?
“Come on, Sami, are you scared of a little adventure?” prodded Noah.
“No, I’m game.” I gave Noah a high five with my padded gloved hand. He smiled at my response.
“I’ll show you adventure,” Karis said competitively in an unbearably sweet little-girl voice as she cuffed her arm around Noah’s. He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. Her insecurity was draining.
We had to walk at least three miles across what looked like a frozen lake before we got to the bottom of the mountain. It was an easy walk since the snow was packed down smoothly by the wind. It also didn’t hurt that the gusting wind was blowing against our backs, practically pushing us along. I worried that Enos’s scrawny body would blow away. Maybe he knew the trek would be difficult for him. The wind circled him like a flag pole during a tornado. We stopped at the bottom of the mountain to tether our bodies together at our waists with climbing rope and grappling hooks. Before we could start our ascent, the planet rumbled and shook with a larger tremor.
“Watch out!” Tyden shouted loudly at Pascal and me. We were at the caboose of the line. Gaelan was directly in front of me and gave us both a yank, pulling us a stunning six feet forward before catching me in his arms. Luckily, Pascal brought his massive body to an abrupt halt before he flattened me like a pancake.
“
Ahh
,” I screamed at the unexpected jolt. I turned to discover a large mound of dense snow had crashed down into a pile on the exact spot where we had been standing. It surely would have crushed us.
“Hey, beautiful,” Gaelan said smoothly. I used his arms to stand up and gain my bearings. He had the ability to make a near-death experience romantic.
“Thanks,” I replied quietly. It was uncomfortable having so many onlookers overhearing our exchange. I quickly suppressed my yearning desire to go somewhere where we could be alone. “What in the world was that? This whole mountain isn’t going to tumble down on us,
is it?
”
“Decca frequently has shifts in its tectonic plates. They are usually mild and short-lived,” Gaelan explained calmly, trying to dispel my fear. Without delay, the shaking returned as if it were summoned. Our eyes scouted the mountainside as the vibration rumbled beneath our feet. We stood in silence, gazing up at the snow-loaded slope towering high above our heads. It was terrifying to watch some of the snow roll down the hillside of the ridged terrain in the direction we were headed. A strong enough tremor would definitely sprout an avalanche.
I’d really like to avoid being buried alive here—or anywhere else for that matter.
“Let’s go. We shouldn’t waste time,” said Tyden. He looked at me in a threatening manner before he turned around. He seemed to be saying, “Don’t mess this up,” only not so kindly. Everyone quickly followed his lead and started up the snowy route. Enos complained every couple of minutes. “How much farther do we have to go? Are you sure you remember where the cave is? Can we stop and take a break?” He whined on and on. No one paid any attention to him. I, however, found it hard to ignore and fought to control my urge to tell him to shut up!
For the most part, we followed a natural path carved into the sides of the cliff. Falling snow obscured our visibility the higher we climbed, making it difficult to see the stretch of trail up ahead. There was only one bend where I felt much too close to the edge. We had to wait patiently as each of us took turns stepping around a huge rock that jutted out in our way. I prayed that there wouldn’t be another shake and tightly grasped the rope we had clipped to our waist that linked us all together. It was my turn. Pascal held my waist for as far as his reach allowed him. On my first step, I kicked off a clump of snow from the terracing edge and watched it fall down into the valley far below. “
Oh
,” I gasped as the reality of where I was set in.
Do not look down
, I told myself before I made another move while I clung to the mountain wall like Velcro. The drop below was very steep. I didn’t need to have vertigo right now. That same wind that had helped push me along the frozen lake had now become my enemy. It whipped around us forcefully. Each blast of wind blew my goggles painfully deep into my face. It felt like I could blow right off the cliff. I carefully secured my boot against the mountainside, nearly burying it in the snow. There was very little room to step as I shifted around the blocked path. It took six steps in all before Gaelan grabbed my hand as I came around the bend. I had made it! I exhaled in relief when I viewed the widened trail ahead.
Overall, I couldn’t believe how effortlessly I hiked to the top ridge. Did Urit’s vaccination enhance my physical abilities? I wasn’t even out of breath or tired. I looked at the Katarians. They didn’t seem to be impressed by their extreme skill. I guess it would be easy to take it for granted when you haven’t experienced exertion fatigue. We entered a large cavern in the side of the mountain. It had a musty, dank smell. We undid the rope chaining us together.
The stone-walled cave was dimly lit compared to the bright white outside, but not completely dark. It had an amazing rosy glow, making the need for flashlights unnecessary. My eyes squinted as I adjusted to the darkness. It was also considerably warmer. We had to remove our gloves and unzip our jackets to cool off after we entered the rocky shelter. The ground was uneven, and I had to carefully plant my boots before I took each step. Pascal was so large. He took huge strides. Each of his footsteps resonated loudly throughout the cavern. Gaelan, Zaric, and Noah moved with grace. They seemed to float across the rough terrain with ease. Karis skipped around like a little elf. The group’s natural ability was obvious. We moved deeper into the cavern before we reached a large opening that was entirely filled with the source of the glowing red light. I quickly surveyed the area. It was unbelievable! The cavern walls, floor, and ceiling were made up of huge rubies. The stones shimmered brilliantly. A snow-covered opening above us functioned like a skylight to light up the space. It looked like a jeweler had positioned a spotlight to shine on her display.
“Wow,” was all I could say.
“Isn’t it incredible, Sami? Aren’t you glad you didn’t chicken out?” Noah smirked. I gave him a nod.
I watched as Gaelan and the others took out pencilsized laser pointers and began cutting free large chucks of gemstone with the laser’s green beam of light. “We harvest the rubies and use them to line the hull of our ships. It adds incredible strength to the structural integrity,” he explained.
“Those are really powerful,” I said. The lasers carved through the thick stone like it was butter.
“Yeah, they’re useful, only you have to handle them with care.” Gaelan stopped cutting the stones for a moment to talk. He gave a little smile, turning up the corners of his lips, making him look even more desirable. “Here, Sami, could you start filling up the bags?” He handed me his backpack, and I lifted the heavy pieces with two hands and stuffed them into the bag. Everyone was spread out all over the large room, diligently chipping away and filling their bags with the stones. I felt another tremor rumble through the ground and walls. Some dust and debris fell down on our heads, temporarily clouding the air. No one stopped working. Instead, they seemed to pick up their speed. “We’ll be quick—we’re almost done.” Gaelan looked at me reassuringly. He must have noticed my fearful expression. My paranoid mind started to worry about a possible cave-in.
I was relieved when I saw Karis and Noah swing their packs onto their backs, signaling that they were finished. Zaric, Pascal, and Enos quickly joined them. They all appeared ready to leave. Before I could lift my bag, Gaelan grabbed my arm. “
Shh
… did you hear that?” he whispered. The others all stopped dead in their tracks, standing like statues. His eyes were wide. His gaze met the others’, but no one spoke. “We’ve got company,” he said in a tense tone. I listened carefully, trying to hear what had alarmed him. Then, to my surprise, I heard something, too—faint sounds coming from the cave’s entrance. He was right. We were not alone. I couldn’t believe he was able to hear them over the noise we had been making. His senses were so keen to the surroundings.
“Is there another way out?” I whispered. My question was answered by a consensus of shaking heads. We were trapped. Carefully, everyone went into hiding. I wanted to run, but there was nowhere to go except deeper into the cave. Together, Tyden, Gaelan, and I slid behind a four-foot rock jutting up from the floor and ducked down on the ground. I was tempted to join the others since they were significantly closer to the exit.
“Don’t move,” Gaelan quickly instructed me, in a voice so low I could barely hear him, when he saw me rethink my hiding spot. The muffled voices and footsteps grew louder. The visitors approached and lit up the cavern walls with a bright white light as they drew closer. It was blinding to my night-adjusted eyes. Gaelan cautiously peered around the side of the stone to see who the visitors were.
“Dreons,” he huffed quietly and slumped back down. He brought his hand to his mouth as he thought. I knew he wasn’t happy by the irritated look on his face. His expression was somewhat terrifying. I recalled him telling me how they had abducted his people in the past for experimentation. I had never seen this side of Gaelan before. His was apprehensive. I was used to feeling so safe when he was near. His obvious anxiety only heightened my own. I looked at Tyden. He was leaning his head against the rock in front of us. He was so silent, I wasn’t even sure if he was breathing. I tensed my entire body, trying to hold completely still and mirror his stance so I would go unnoticed. Gaelan looked at me as though he needed to tell me something.
“What?” I mouthed the words as I held up my hands in confusion. He slowly held up his hand to motion for me not to move. He carefully slid closer to me, looked down at me with saddened eyes, and bit his lip.
“I’m sorry,” he mouthed back with his face drawn in agony. Tyden reached out his arm and clasped it around Gaelan’s to get his attention.
“We need a plan,” he said, more with his lips than his voice. Gaelan shrugged his shoulders as his eyes tightened in thought. Tyden concentrated as well, staring off into space as though he were trying to devise an escape plan. I could hear the Dreons moving the rubies around. It wasn’t being done in the same manner we used. They were loud. It sounded like a noisy construction site. You could hear large rocks splitting before hitting the ground in a roaring crash. It was followed by the sound of gravel shifting under their feet as they walked past. I could see their thin shadows on the opposite wall. The narrow figures carried boulder-sized rocks out of the cave on their shoulders. How strong were they? These stones were heavy. It reminded me of the world’s strongest man competitions on Earth. It never ceased to amaze me to see the contestants swing the 350-pound atlas balls around like they were filled with air.
Gaelan slowly reached down to lift the cuff of his coat and expose the metal bracelet on his wrist. It was a double-braided chain made out of a dull silver alloy. It was something most of the Katarians wore, aside from Noah. Once, I asked Noah if he had one. He said he did but didn’t wear it because it might blow his cover on Earth since the metal wasn’t native to our planet. Tyden shifted his eyes from the ground to look at Gaelan. Gaelan held out his arm to Tyden and motioned for him to remove it by tapping it with his finger. Tyden’s mouth opened slightly, but he didn’t say a word. He looked at me, the way he always did, seeming slightly upset by my presence. He unclasped the bracelet in the most bizarre manner. He had to turn it several times in different directions. It looked like he opened up the metal, separating the two strands. Then, he carefully handed one of the braids to Gaelan. He turned to me and held up a finger to my lips, barely touching them, to keep me silent. He lifted my left arm and laid the bracelet on my wrist. The ends of the metal attracted and snapped shut on my wrist. I let out a gasp. His eyes widened, knowing I was too loud. I prayed no one had heard me. Luckily, no one did.
We waited silently for the Dreons to finish their work. I wish I had sat completely on the ground instead of squatting on my knees. I was getting pins and needles in my legs and feet from the lack of circulation. Finally, the Dreons seemed to be done collecting the rubies. They were leaving. It became really quiet when the pain in my legs was becoming too difficult to bear. I couldn’t hold still any longer. Before they were all gone, I carefully shifted my weight. Unfortunately, my numb left foot slid out from under me ever so slightly, kicking up a few small pebbles, causing them to roll across the cavern floor only to hit a Dreon’s foot. I saw his shadow abruptly stop in front of us as he put down his load.
“Who goes there?” spoke the alien.
Tyden stood up, knowing our cover was blown. “The Katarians. We do not want to disturb you.” He held himself with impeccable posture. His composure was admirable. Gaelan and I rose to our feet and stood behind him. I was alarmed not only to see the Dreon in front of us, but the enormity of the cavern when it was fully lit up by their lights. The alien was tall and lanky. He appeared somewhat human, aside from his solid black eyes, thin lips, and small chin. A white robe was draped over his thin body. He appeared similar to the gray aliens some people on Earth had been describing for years, except his skin was ghostly white and his shoulder-length hair was pale blonde. I couldn’t believe his frail frame was able to lift the large gemstone resting at his feet.
“We had hoped to await your exit, Hyril,” Tyden spoke with authority. I was surprised he knew the Dreon by name.