“Pith,” he said.
“Pith,” she repeated.
Look at that. She might have flunked Spanish, but she was acing this alien language.
Feeling like they had a good thing going, Sara tapped her chest. “Sa-ra.”
“Sah-ah.”
“No. Rah.Rah.”
“Sah-ah.” Blue arched an eyebrow nub.
“I guess I’ll have to accept that for now.” She pointed to him. “Your name?”
He shook his head.
She frowned. “Your name.”
Instead of an answer, Blue stepped back and rummaged through his pocket again. She lit up with excitement. So far, he’d only pulled nourishing and technologically advanced things out of there. What goodies would he offer next?
Blue yanked out a vial filled with a strange glowing flower. He emptied the leaves into his hands and ground the dried flowers into his palm until it became a sort of thick liquid. Her eyes widened as he stepped toward her, fingers fisted and extended in her direction.
She didn’t like that look on his face. “Hey, back up, buddy.”
Blue advanced steadily and confidently.
“Get away from me!”
He didn’t stop.
Sara inched back, but her body hit a wall.
“W-what are you doing?” Sara looked all around, but there was nowhere to go. She was trapped.
Seven
Korben
They were stuck hereuntil the storm cleared. Korben grabbed the vial of healing leaves stored in his kit and pulled out one dose. He offered it to the female first.
“Geet aaawaaa frum mee.” She waved her arms wildly and backed up against the wall.
He stopped and assessed her intently. The flame flickered over her dark skin and glinted in the bruises on her face. The injuries seemed to have been inflicted by something more severe than the Rulari’s slap. Perhaps she had gotten hurt before being taken to the beluda.
“I will help you,” he said firmly, trying his best to look less intimidating.
Venas popped out of her neck and she stared at him as if he was a monster. Was he that frightening?
“See?” Korben speared the healing leaves on himself. Immediately, the wounds on his shoulder frothed and brought a burning sensation. That meant that the medicine was working.
For now.
The deeper wounds on the middle of his back would require a more powerful technology. Only one Plutonian could wield that.
The Healer.
But he was currently in the Heronas’s clutches.