Page 25 of My Big Scaly Alien Naga
"Goodbye privacy," I echoed grimly.
I picked up the biggest rock I could safely lift and slammed it against a diamond pillar to my right.The pillar was fine – the rock wasn't.It shattered with a bang, echoed by the mountains around us.I did it again, and a third time, until I picked up the telltale buzz of the drone.
"It is coming," I warned Clare."From now on, don't mention the chii."At least not aloud.We can speak about important things telepathically.
I was even more grateful to the chii now for giving us access to this ability.It would give us a major advantage that the gamemakers wouldn't anticipate.
When I saw the drone in the distance, its sleek metal reflecting the light of the setting sun, I motioned for Clare to continue walking.I let her set the pace, but we were evenly matched.The path was mostly smooth, but occasionally a sharp rock would scratch against my scales.Nagas were not made for this environment.I could already feel the air cooling.Diamonds did not store heat like other rocks, that was very obvious to me now.We had to reach this other cave as fast as possible.
"It will be dark soon," I said into the silence."Are you able to walk a little faster?I read Peritans don't have good night vision, and I don't want you to stumble in the dark."
She increased her pace somewhat.I grit my teeth, my fangs digging into my lower lip.I didn't want my mate to have to exhaust herself, yet we had to get to safety.My entire body ached from the climb and I felt myself getting slower.The cold was sucking all the energy from my muscles.
The drone was close now, but kept a small distance from us, as if the game makers were worried we'd attack it.They knew drones could be destroyed.Contestants did it all the time.A well-aimed rock, a bang with a tree branch, a slice with a blade.In other areas of the planet, drones were numerous and easy to replace.Here, this had to be the only one.I still needed to figure out how it had found us so quickly.Our lives depended on it.
I was out of breath by the time the path widened slightly before turning into another plateau nestled against a huge rockface.A crack shaped like a lightning bolt went all the way from the top of the rock down to where we stood.What could do this to solid rock?
This must be it,I said in my mind, unwilling to let the drone eavesdrop on us.Let's hope the cave hasn't collapsed.
Clare looked at me with dread, and I instantly regretted voicing my fears.Her gaze flitted to the drone hovering high above us, before settling back on me.Warmth spread through me; warmth that did not come from the sun.I smiled at my mate.This was not how I'd imagined meeting her, but I was grateful that we were finally together.
An icy breeze caressed my scales.I could feel the cold seep into my body.I had to find shelter before I became unable to move.
We approached the crack in the rock face.In the fading light, it appeared dark, black almost, as if someone had dipped a paintbrush into midnight itself and carelessly struck the rock with it.But at the bottom, where it met the smooth ground, something sparkled.Another diamond?
Clare bent down to look at it.
"It's a-" She stopped, then continued in my mind.It's a key.At least I think so.
She handed me a tiny diamond obelisk, about the length of my finger.A delicate pattern had been engraved into it on all sides.It reminded me of a web that had been spun around the diamond.Beautiful.But why did my mate think this was a key?
I asked her the question.She grinned.
Because there is a hole in the rock.Look here.I think this will fit.
I handed the obelisk back to her.You found it.You deserve the honour of opening the door.If it is one.
She took it from me, her delicate fingers brushing against my scales.Our first touch, no matter how small.Something moved deep inside me.Something that had lain dormant all my life.I froze.I should have expected this.She was my mate, after all.But for all the stories I had heard, for all they had taught us in school, I had not expected it to feel thisgood.
Fingers crossed, my mate said, oblivious to what was going on inside me.Let's see if this works.
I wasn’t sure why she needed to cross her fingers at this moment in time, but there was no time to ask.She pushed the obelisk into the hole.For a moment, nothing happened.
Then the mountain groaned,slowly waking from an age-old sleep.
14
Clare
The rock in front of me vanished.
I blinked, not believing my eyes.One second it was there: solid, grey stone that had felt as hard as any rock would.The next second, it had disappeared, revealing a dark tunnel entrance.I tentatively stretched out my arm to feel for the rock that had been there.All my fingers found was air.The rock really had vanished.Wow.
"That was...unexpected," Venom said from behind me.His voice shook slightly.Exhaustion, maybe?It couldn't have been easy to move up this mountain without legs.He had an effective slithering motion that enabled him to keep up with me, but I'd seen him wince whenever a sharp rock had touched his scales.Not that I'd been walking particularly fast.My feet had miraculously healed from most of my injuries, but I was still sore and exhausted.Would a comfortable bed be too much to hope for in this cave?
I turned to look at the drone that had been following us at a steady distance ever since Venom had first attracted its attention.I'd got used to the slight whizzing sound, although I refused to think about what it symbolised.People were watching us.They knew where we were.And they did not have our best interests at heart.
Hopefully, it wouldn't be able to follow us inside.The gap in the rock was just about wide enough to allow Venom to squeeze through.
