Page 39 of Solar Bound
Solar watched as Rowan flinched at the question.
"He stayed behind," she said, her voice tight, "to hold them off."
Something shifted in Lunar's expression. Concern, perhaps? It was difficult to read emotions on his shadowy features, even for Solar who had known him longer than these humans.
"Milano has deployed energy-dampening technology," Solar explained, his irritation at the situation bleeding into his tone. "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.
Solar hid his amusement at her defiance. It would seem he was not the only one irritated by Lunar.
Another distant rumble shook the cave, this one weaker than before. Solar's energy pulsed with concern. Each explosion represented Eclipse fighting, or possibly falling prey to, Milano's forces.
"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. Solar followed behind Rowan, providing light for her to navigate the difficult terrain. His mind, however, was increasingly occupied with a single thought.
Dani. Where was Dani?
If Lunar had found Poppy, surely he would know about Dani as well. But Solar hesitated to ask, unwilling to reveal the depth of his concern before Rowan and Lunar. Such emotional attachments were not the way of the Solarus Elite Guard. They were tactical disadvantages, vulnerabilities that could be exploited.
Yet the question burned within him, brighter than his physical form.
"Wait," Rowan 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 incline, his mind still divided between immediate survival and concern for Dani. As they ascended, the air grew fresher, the sense of oppressive darkness lifting. They were nearing the surface.
"What about Eclipse?" Rowan insisted again. "We can't just leave him."
"Eclipse is capable of defending himself," Lunar said. "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 stated, though he understood her emotional response. Humans formed attachments quickly and invested a kind of meaning in personal connections that his people viewed as secondary to duty.
Yet wasn't that exactly what he was doing with his concern for Dani?
They climbed quietly for a few minutes before reaching a narrow crevice illuminated by natural light filtering from above. Lunar indicated a sequence of handholds etched 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."
Solar watched as Rowan began the ascent, her human frailty evident in her trembling limbs and labored breathing. Despite this, she persisted with admirable determination. Solar followed after her, his restored energy making the climb effortless for him. Lunar flowed up last, barely distinguishable from the shadows cast by the rocks.
As they neared the opening, a human hand reached down from above. Poppy's face appeared, her expression a mix of concern and determination.
"Hurry," Poppy urged. "Helicopters are coming back around."
With effort, Rowan pulled herself out of the crevice and onto the sunbaked red rock of the canyon rim. Solar emerged next, his golden form immediately absorbing the sunlight. His energy surged, restoring depleted reserves and strengthening his physical cohesion. Lunar flowed up last, immediately contracting his shadow form to avoid detection in the daylight.
"Where's Eclipse?" Poppy asked.
