Page 15 of The Prisoner's Gambit
We’re plummeting into a sun, she thought.So, this is how I die.
She wasn’t remotely at peace with it as she had thought she might be. She’d always pictured herself at the moment of her demise, calm and collected, with some wise final words to utter on her way out.
This was not that situation. Not at all. And she very much wanted to live.
The G forces were increasing as the compartment fell faster and faster, spinning as it flew through the sky. The heat, however, was lessening. This wasn’t a sun. This was terrestrial gravity at play. They were crashing on a planet.
The forces pushed Bodok’s body against her hard, then relented a moment as they tumbled, returning with a vengeance as they picked up even more speed.
“I…can’t…breathe…” she gasped, lights dancing before her eyes as her body was overcome by the pressure.
The compartment jolted hard, tossing her and Bodok about, his muscular body absorbing nearly all of the impact, protecting her from the hard metal. She found herself face to face with him, his silver eyes shining in the dim emergency lights, locked on hers.
A tiny, dazed grin was creeping onto her lips when the emergency landing jets kicked on hard, slowing the falling wreckage in a very painful instant. Maureen couldn’t take any more. The G forces were just too much for her human body. The last thing she saw were Bodok’s silver eyes watching her, then the Gs increased and the remainder of her blood was forced from her brain and she finally slipped into unconsciousness.
CHAPTERSIX
Stranded on an alien world, crash landed with Bodok and a handful of survivors, Maureen had to wonder if this wasn’t a frying pan into the fire type situation. In any case, she would have to make the most of it, and step one was making sure everyone was fed as Bodok had asked.
She roasted the leeches to what she hoped was an appropriate level before handing them to the others. None were thrilled to be eating the very creatures that had so recently been feasting on their own blood, but Bodok was right, nourishment was nourishment, and they would need all the strength they could muster.
He had returned from his scouting expedition far sooner than anyone had expected. His quick run up the nearest hill had afforded him a decent view of the crash site—or lack thereof, seeing as they had splashed down in a marshy lake—as well as the area around them.
Importantly, he had also been afforded a clear view of the skies above, and while there was no sign of active craft flying in their vicinity, the telltale streaks of their recent passage lingering in the lower clouds were unmistakable.
“We appear to be near some form of civilization,” he informed them when he returned.
Maureen offered him a skewer with the larger of the leeches on it. He was their strongest member and had saved their lives. If anyone deserved it, it was him.
“Thank you,” he said, crouching down and taking the skewer, popping a crackling hot roasted leech into his mouth, chewing tentatively at first, then with greater gusto. “Not that bad, actually.”
“Needs salt,” Maureen noted.
“Given what we have to work with, it will suffice.” He looked up at the sky, gauging the orange sun as it transcribed its arc. “It is relatively early. Plenty of time to cover ground. I will move as quickly as I am able and will send back help as soon as I can.”
Maureen’s hackles rose. “Hang on. You’re not leaving me here.”
“With injuries, it makes sense I would do this alone.”
“Well, I’m not injured. At least, I don’t have any broken bones, so there’s no way in hell you’re leaving me behind. Not a chance, Buddy. No way, no how. Wherever you’re going, I’m coming with.”
Bodok stared at her a long moment, then shrugged and stood, stretching his limbs as he surveyed the best path to follow.
“As you wish. Your injuries are minor, all things considered. But it is up to you to keep up.”
“I will.”
“I mean it. I will be moving quickly, and I will not slow my pace on your account.”
“Yeah, yeah, we’re going to make some time. I got it. Anything else?”
He studied her for a beat, amused at her confidence. “That is all. Now, it is time to gather some additional food for the others. They are not up for foraging at the moment, but at least one of them will be capable by tomorrow.”
“I can help.”
“Oh, I fully expected you to,” he said with a rumbling chuckle. Clearly, he had a pretty good idea of this woman’s willpower and had no intention of challenging it.
They foraged in the woods near the marshy lake, making sure to stay clear of wide-open spaces. The Raxxians would not take the loss of their transport craft lightly, and while Bodok doubted they had any of their fleet nearby, given the lack of a defense for the attack on their transport ship, he was still adamant they took every precaution against recapture.
