Page 44 of Eclipse Bound
Chapter
Twelve
"Don't move," a voice commanded.
From the darkness, a figure materialized, literally flowing out of the shadows like liquid night. Lunar grabbed Rowan by her arm and pulled her to the side. Solar’s light illuminated a hole she had almost tripped over.
"Lunar," Solar growled, his form brightening again. "Where have you been while we fought for our lives?"
"Observing," Lunar replied coolly. "And preparing an escape route." He turned his night-dark eyes to Rowan. "Where is Eclipse?"
The question hit her like a physical blow. "He stayed behind to hold them off."
Something shifted in Lunar's expression. Concern, perhaps? Though it was difficult to read emotions on his shadowy features.
"Milano has deployed energy-dampening technology," Solar explained. "They found us at the Desert Suite and attacked in force."
"I am aware," Lunar said. "Poppy and I witnessed their deployment from the canyon rim. She's securing transportation while I tracked your energy signatures to find you." His gaze returned to Rowan. "You left a rather obvious trail."
"I'm sorry I don't have shadow-walking powers," Rowan snapped, her fear for Eclipse making her irritable. She started to turn back, but another distant rumble shook the cave, this one weaker than before.
"We must keep moving," Lunar urged. "An exit suitable to your dimensions is this way."
He led them through a series of increasingly narrow passages, at times seeming to merge with the shadows completely. Rowan struggled to keep up, her wet clothes heavy and her muscles aching from the cold and exertion.
"Wait," she gasped as they climbed a particularly steep section. "I need to catch my breath."
"There is no time," Lunar insisted. "Milano's forces are deploying throughout the canyon. They have devices that flash with light when they detect our energy signatures."
"Energy scanners," Rowan mumbled to herself. "Like the ones they used to find us at the retreat."
"Precisely," Lunar confirmed. "We must reach Poppy's vehicle before they establish a perimeter."
Solar helped Rowan up a particularly difficult section, his touch leaving her skin tingling with residual energy.
"What about Eclipse?" she insisted again. "We can't just leave him."
"Eclipse is capable of defending himself," Lunar said, though his tone lacked conviction. "And he would prioritize the mission over his individual safety."
"This isn't a mission anymore," Rowan argued. "This is survival."
"Same objective, different terminology," Solar said.
The aliens’ dry, matter-of-fact personality traits were more annoying when coming from these two.
They climbed in silence for several minutes before emerging into a narrow crevice where natural light streamed down from above. Lunar pointed to a series of handholds carved into the rock face.
"This leads to the surface," he explained. "Poppy will be waiting with transportation approximately half a kilometer north of the exit point."
Rowan took a deep breath as she looked up. This was not going to be fun.
She began the ascent, her arms trembling with fatigue. The climb seemed endless, each handhold requiring more effort than the last. Just as her strength was about to give out, a human hand reached down from above.
Poppy's face appeared at the opening, her expression a mix of concern and determination.
"Hurry," she urged. "Helicopters are coming back around."
With a final effort, Rowan pulled herself out of the crevice and onto the sun-baked red rock of the canyon rim. Solar emerged next, his golden form immediately dimming to avoid detection. Lunar flowed up last, barely distinguishable from the shadows cast by the rocks.
