Page 24 of The Prisoner's Gambit
She sat down and took one from the wide leaf he had piled them on and popped it in her mouth.
“Hey, these are pretty good.”
“I would not offer them if they were not.”
“I didn’t mean—”
“I am playing,” he said, a warm grin spreading across his lips.
My God, that smile,she thought, a warm glow spreading in her belly as the reality sank in.I really dig this guy.
The way he was looking back at her, it seemed more than a little apparent he felt the same way. An interspecies extraterrestrial romance was afoot, and Maureen found herself all for it.
They ate quickly then Bodok turned his attention to packing up a good portion of cooked meat and fresh berries for later. If they didn’t find civilization by the end of the day and had to make camp again for another night, at least they would only need to reheat what they had rather than finding a new food source from scratch.
Of course, Bodok would also identify and collect plants they could eat along the way, but nothing was a given and it was far better to be safe than hungry.
“What about the rest?” Maureen asked as they prepared to head out.
“I will leave it exposed,” he replied as he thoroughly buried the remaining coals to ensure there would be no accidental fire on their account.
“I thought you said it would attract other animals.”
“Yes, but we are leaving this place, and it makes no sense to let this creature’s sacrifice go to waste. All throughout nature animals eat. It would be unthinkable to deprive them of this ready source of nutrition if it does not put us in any peril to do so.”
With that he slung his makeshift pack over his shoulder. “Come,” he said, “we should get moving.”
They set off with renewed energy and fresh legs, though Bodok’s were more resilient than Maureen’s. She was sure it was his runes giving him that tireless stamina, and she couldn’t help but wonder what other kind of endurance he might possess.
Hopefully, she would find out soon enough.
They hiked straight through the day, only pausing long enough to drink from a fresh stream and eat some berries along the shore. Otherwise, they ate as they moved, determined to find civilization before the sun set.
Conversation was sparse, but they were strangely okay with that. Walking quietly with each other just felt right, and when their hands brushed in passing, each felt a delicious surge of memory of the prior night’s interlude.
They didn’t speak of it, though. What was there to say that they hadn’t already said, albeit silently and in each other’s arms?
When they crested the tallest hill in their path, the one Bodok had chosen as their target direction to gain a higher vantage point if nothing else, suddenly, they found themselves with alotto say.
“Oh my God,” Maureen gasped, her eyes gleaming with awe. “It’s amazing!”
It was the first alien city she had ever laid eyes on, and with its smoothly curving architecture and network of walkways and skyways, it was a sight to behold for any human.
Bodok, however, was less enthused.
“Damn,” he muttered. “This is not good.”
“What’s the matter?”
“This place looks familiar.”
“And that’s a bad thing?”
“If we are where I fear we are, this planet is a transit hub for many different worlds.”
“So there will be people who can help us. Maybe even get us home.”
“That is a possibility, yes. But you must understand, there are also many hostile races. This could be a very difficult hurdle to overcome. And dangerous. We will have to keep you covered when we draw closer.”
