Page 30 of Galactic Sentinels: Vol. 1
As I’m about to leave, Hilda gives me a final reminder.
“Pherebos, don’t forget to pass through the checkpoint again before you leave! We always log who enters and exits the colony.”
“Of course,” I reply with a nod.
I give them both a polite farewell and head back toward the SIL, accompanied by Wingo and Isaac—who’s already busy compiling a list of the supplies I requested.
The delivery and loading go surprisingly fast, which I’m more than happy about. The sooner we’re ready, the sooner I can start looking for Ileana.
Once we’re back on board and the usual system checks are complete, I turn to Wingo.
“So… any idea how we’re supposed to find a young woman on the run, on a planet we barely know? Well, if she left two days ago, she can’t have gone far—especially if she’s not used to surviving in the wild. That limits our search radius to maybe fifty kilometers, tops. But how do we actually find her?”
“Easy,”Wingo says. “Just ask your Wingo!”
“Isn’t that what I just did?”
“Ah, right! What I meant was—ask me where she is. And maybe explain why we’re suddenly chasing after a girl you claimed not to remember.”
“Stop nitpicking and just tell me how to find her!”
“Follow the link!”he says confidently, pointing his trunk toward a slightly mountainous area about twelve miles away.
Part Two
Chapter 8.
Ileana
I’ve been out here for two days now—grieving, disoriented, and completely alone. Two painfully long days and nights since everything shattered. I keep going over it in my head, trying to figure out how to expose what Henri did, how to make the truth known. But it never changes. No matter how I look at it, no one’s going to believe me.
Henri’s respected. Trusted. He’s part of the inner circle. And me? I’m just the unstable girl. The criminal. That’s how they’ll always see me.
So now, the only way I survive is by staying far away from the colony’s systems. I have to hope that someone else—someone they’ll actually listen to—will eventually uncover the truth about him.
That night, when Henri gave me that choice—leave or die—I knew what he really meant. He wanted to shoot me in the back and claim he had no other option. So I ran. I sprinted toward the shadows at the edge of the garden, heart pounding, not daring to look back.
When I reached the forest line, it hit me: he wasn’t planning to kill me himself. He just wanted the wilderness to do it for him.
But I didn’t stop. I kept running, deeper and deeper into the forest, where the darkness swallowed everything. I had no idea where I was going, no sense of direction. Just trees and vines closing in around me, every step looking exactly like the last.
After a while, I stop running and glance around. My energy is draining fast. I’m not used to this kind of physical effort, and the adrenaline that kept me going for a while has completely worn off.
I’m lost. Exhausted. Cold. Panic is starting to creep in. But I keep moving, pushing through the darkness of the woods.
My thoughts are getting fuzzy. I keep stumbling over roots, and branches keep slapping my face and arms. My legs feel like lead—every step hurts.
Eventually, I stumble into a narrow clearing and spot a small cave. I stop running and collapse there, trying to rest. And I’ve been stuck here ever since. Two whole days.
This morning, I’m completely spent. Since I fled, I’ve only eaten a few wild berries. I drank a little water trickling from a crack in the rock. I’m starving. Dehydrated. The cuts I got during my escape are burning now—maybe infected.
I miss my sister so much. I feel her absence every single day. I know she’d want me to survive, to fight for the truth. I just hope that one day I’ll be able to prove I’m innocent—and make the man who hurt her pay.
But right now, I need water.
I carefully step out of my hiding place, listening for any sound that might mean someone’s nearby. I don’t know if Henri has sent anyone after me, but if he has, I pray they don’t find me.
I follow the sound of birdsong. Birds know where to find water—and food. I try to memorize a few landmarks so I can find my way back to the cave.
