Alpha Centauri

Thirty-Eight - Jaden

"Dude, what the hell was that thing?"

Nathan and Hermes's heads appear above me, blocking the desert sun.

Pain has consumed my entire left leg. I can only pray that it'll eventually knock me out and put me out of my misery.

Raev props my head up while Hermes cuts my leg free from my pant leg. He yanks off his scarf, revealing his dark hair and unexpectedly handsome face. "Mechanical serpent. They were used in the war between our people and the Scriosians. Beautifully crafted, but their programming was faulty."

"You don't say," I grunt.

Hermes ignores me. "The Scriosians built them as weapons, but they turned against their creators and wreaked havoc over everyone. I suppose they've managed to survive over the centuries and have stayed here, hidden, waiting for something prey on."

Hermes pours water from his canteen over his scarf and dabs my leg. I grit my teeth and squeeze one of Raev's hands. I can't accurately and fully describe the pain. I'm almost sure the damn snake's fangs went all the way through my leg.

Hermes uses the remains of my cargo pant leg to tightly wrap my snake bite. "We'll heal it properly when we get to camp."

Raev and I share a camel-beast because mine was slaughtered. I sit behind him and wrap my arms around his waist and lean my head against his back.

The journey wears on, and the pain in my leg doesn't fade. "Raev," I gasp just as I collapse and nearly topple off of the beast.

When I open my eyes, I'm resting in a pair of Raev's arms. He's cradling me against his body, absently stroking my hair. For the rest of the trip, I slip in and out of consciousness. I don't want to be conscious, because that means feeling pain, but unconscious I'm vulnerable to invading dreams. God-awful dreams of my brother with horrible things happening to him. I refuse to believe he's dead. I know he's alive. It's that weird bond all twins have. I'd be able to feel if he was dead.

I'm awake when we arrive at camp. The pain in my leg still hasn't let up. Our herd of beasts ambles through two towering trees that look a lot like pines or redwoods. The oasis Corona told us about is some sort of coniferous forest with a clear stream running through it. It's beautiful. Tents are pitched in neat rows. Everyone is here, but the starship they arrived on is nowhere to be seen.

Nathan's siblings Cass and Orion jog up to us. "What took you so long?" Cass demands.

Hermes dismounts his beast and makes his way over to Raev's. "We had a slight delay."

Raev slides off of his steed with me his arms. Cass and Orion gasp.

"Mechanical serpent," Hermes explains. "We need to get her to the infirmary."

Orion reaches for me, but Raev hangs on to me. "I'll take her."

-----

The next few hours are just a blur. When the medics are finally finished with me, Corona is standing over my cot, a somber smile on her face  Something heavy seems to rest on her shoulders.

I recall traveling underground to reach the infirmary. It's like some high-tech hospital. It's cold and hard, bathed in pale, manufactured light.

I sit up, not surprised that the pain is still there.

"Jaden. I'm afraid we have some bad news. The serpent...its fangs were still coated in venom when it bit you. Luckily, it was aged and not as lethal. Had the automaton been any newer, you'd probably be dead by now."