Crystal Guardian

13

'She's gone!' cried Aldric as he jumped out of The Flower Child.

Evie peered out of The Pod. 'What do you mean?' she called.

'What do you think I mean?' said Aldric as he raced back to them. 'What if something's happened to her? I knew we shouldn't have left her alone.'

'Have you checked the back?' said Evie.

'I looked everywhere,' Aldric replied.

Milo clambered out of his ship before offering his hand to Evie.

The Ripto carrying Raiden and Tal, skidded to a stop between the ships so violently that his passengers nearly fell over his head.

'Did you see K from up there?' Aldric asked them.

'No,' said Raiden. Worried, Aldric raced away but Raiden chased him. 'Why? What's going on?'

'We can't find her,' he turned back to Raiden accursedly. 'I should've made you go back. We shouldn't have gone anywhere without her.'

Raiden shoved him aside but Aldric never left his tail. Together, they searched the ship to see if K had left a note or some kind of clue to where she had gone. Evie, Tal and Milo went walking around the immediate area. Aldric watched out the ship window as the Ripto lazily swaggered off into the distance and hoped that, if K was out there, she wouldn't encounter it.

'Probably went for a walk,' muttered Raiden as he collapsed into the pilot's seat. There was a knock from outside and the others bundled in, windswept and shivering. Aldric looked up expectantly but K wasn't with them.

'Why don't we take a look at the ship?' suggested Tal. 'When she gets back you'll be ready to go.'

'Sounds like a plan,' said Milo. He backed up. 'It looks like it'll take a while anyway. You've left all the parts out, they're covered.'

Aldric could hear sloshes of snow being dug up and the clatter of tools being thrown all over the place. If someone were to come across the racket they would probably assume that the person responsible for it had no idea what they were doing. Aldric sincerely hoped that this was not the case.

It wasn't long before Tal threw the door open again.

'Guess what?' she said, beaming at them. 'She has returned.'

K poked her head in. She was soaking wet and covered in mud.

'I bring good tidings,' she held up a bunch of, what looked like, curly roots. Aldric had no idea what they were but both Tal and K looked very pleased.

'Where have you been?' said Aldric.

K blinked at him. 'Sorry,' she replied. 'I didn't think I'd be gone that long. I just went to find something so that we wouldn't go hungry when we're up with the stars.'

They were all lurched forward. The ship made a strangled belching noise and a loud expletive was yelled. Tal, who had only just managed to cling onto the inside of the ship, jumped out.

'What have you done now?' she shouted playfully.

'My finger,' Milo growled.

Inside the ship, Raiden shot to the controls, making sure that everything was turned off.

'My fault,' he said apologetically.

Aldric shook his head. Evie caught his look and narrowed her eyes. She looked as if she wanted to say something but decided against it.