The Celestial Code

Chapter Seven

Zaire swore in the Celestial language. "Really?" he groaned.

Dessa's forehead beaded with sweat and she swiped her hand over her mouth as she glanced up at him. "Sorry... I feel... kind of sick..."

Her headache had come back in full force and everything looked a little blurry. She'd never had atmospheric pressure sickness or space-phobia, but maybe that had changed since being on Avere.

Zaire glowered. "There's a washroom down the ladder and to the right. I'll... clean it up."

Dessa didn't say anything. She managed to get to her feet, right before the room spun. Dessa tripped over herself and would have hit the ground if Zaire hadn't appeared there. His strong arms caught her with ease. "Or I can take you to a room. That might be better."

"I feel sick..."

"Probably space sickness. Or the mind melder. It takes a few days for long term use of its effects to leave your system."

"Or never..." Dessa muttered under her breath as she let him help her hobble out of the room. She had felt fine just moments ago, but the adrenaline had faded and now her whole body felt too hot to be stuck in a suit like this and with each step, her surroundings lurched and spun and twisted like she was in a fun mirror maze at a carnival.

"It will fade. I have some pills that will help."

"I don't want anything from you," she spat out.

"If you want to make this go away then you'll take them."

She said nothing to that.

It was embarrassing sliding down the ladder with his help. Each touch of his hand on her skin, each time he pressed his hands to her hips to steady her made her skin crawl and she had the instinctive urge to shove him away. But without the strength and energy and the last two weeks wearing on her... she couldn't bring herself to refuse his help.

Dessa stumbled through the cargo hold and past the spot where they had come in from. Turned out, the belly of the ship was bigger than she'd thought. They walked past the cargo hold and into a corridor with several doors. Zaire stopped in front of one and put his hand to it. Dessa opened her mouth to tell him that there was no way she was going into a room that didn't have a handle, when one appeared. Her eyes widened slightly at him thinking ahead.

He turned the knob and pushed it open to show a basic room not unlike the ones she had stayed in during her trip to Avere. A simple bunkbed, small closet space, an adjoined bathroom with a small corner shower, toilet and sink and a desk that could be compacted away into the wall if needed.

Zaire led her to the bed and Dessa sat down heavily, her head pounding and her stomach roiling. She may need to make a quick dash to the bathroom again soon.

"I'll be right back," was all he said before he disappeared through the doorway.

She tensed, waiting for the door to seal shut behind him, but nothing happened. It remained ajar and with a handle. Dessa let herself breathe a little easier. For the first time in two weeks, she would be sleeping in a room that she could walk in and out of whenever she pleased. She did breathe a little easier knowing she wasn't trapped anymore, but she would still have to remain on alert. Zaire may have helped her escape, but that didn't mean he had the best of intentions. He was still a Celest and the son of the man who had ordered an assassin to sneak into the Tarran palace and kill her mother.

She'd heard horror stories about Zaire. His brutality in battle, how he never lost a fight, how he was as ruthless and cruel as his father. As much as Dessa wanted to relax and finally breathe easy, she couldn't. There would be no letting her guard down until her boots hit Tarran soil.