The Forgotten Light

30. Ritael

They had to somehow hide Carter's destroyed ship, and the only good and large enough hiding place was between the trees. Passing Invicta Beings would see nothing but the crown of the trees.

"We'll need all the strong ropes you have here," commanded Kaelen, who moments earlier had said that with ten men they could manage to drag the machine a little farther in the woods.

Ritael stood aside and estimated the weight and size of the ship with her eye. Kaelen seemed to have overestimated the human possibilities.

He approached her with an indifferent face. Since all of Arizona's remaining humanity had moved in to Sedona, the golden-eyed man had stopped treating her like air and even occasionally paid attention to her or favoured her with a word. She wondered what the reason for this change was.

"It will not be possible to pull the ship between the trees in ten men" he said simply.

"You think?" she replied, as if it was obvious.

"This is why it's good that you are here. You will help."

For the first time that day she honored him with a tired from crying look. "Me?"

"I didn't tell you that Aeternals are very strong. In two by ourselves we could do it, but we don't want to cast suspicion on ourselves, do we?" He moved back to tie the ropes to whatever he could.

Super sight, super strength. It was getting more and more interesting.

"I wonder what else you missed..."

He didn't answer, but threw her a rope instead, then took another one himself and went on.

"You two are acting weird." She heard Harlyn's voice behind her back.

"He is the one who is weird. Everything is perfectly fine with me."

The boy only raised his right eyebrow and smiled crookedly. Ritael didn't feel like talking to him about it, so she stuck to something much more important.

"Has Usain woken up yet? I would like to see him at last."

Harlyn tied a strong knot on the hook above their heads. He suddenly became serious. "He is still sleeping. I'm worried about him, Rit, something is wrong. I know there's been a lot going on these days and he's been through a lot, but he's changed even before... you know."

"You think he's sick?"

Her friend let the air out of his lungs loudly and looked at her. "I don't know what to think. I just hope that now that we are safe, he will get better." He paused for a moment, as if hesitating over something, but eventually added, "One thing just doesn't get off my back."

They waited for Dusty and the guys from Tucson to pass by. Harlyn didn't want anyone to hear their conversation, and Ritael preferred not to tell him that a certain person was sure to hear every word they said. The boys greeted her, to which she nodded to them.

"I don't think the ship crashed against the rocks that hard. Carter did a great job and we all came out unscathed," Harlyn continued.

"But?"

"Usain was unconscious and bleeding from the nose. Ace and Colin had to carry him out. There is no mark on his head from the impact. I don't like it."

She didn't like it either. Harlyn wasn't blind or stupid, if he suspected something, he certainly wasn't worried in vain.

"We will take care of him. He will come out of this," she promised. 

She wanted to put her hand on his shoulder, but at that moment Kaelen was suddenly between them.