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weboth lay dripping wet. I roll out of his arms onto my back. He’sstretches out alongside me in the prone position, smoothing thehair out of my face.

The sky has traces of orange streaked acrossit. It’s a subtle reminder that this is not Enu: time here isadvancing. The sun will move on, the moon will glisten, and we willleave for Ol; thinking about it makes me shiver.

“Are you cold?” Chex asks and then rubs myarm.

It was turning chilly before his hand madecontact with my skin, but now it’s warm.

“No,” I say with a relaxed sigh.

“Then what’s going on?”

I flip onto my side and prop myself up toface him. “We’re going into Ol and I’m a little squeamish.”

“Don’t be, Baby. I’ll be with you the wholetime. All you have to do is walk forward and I won’t let anythingtouch you. I promise.”

What a sincere glint in his eyes, and Ibelieve him. Suddenly I remember something.

“Your eyes,” I smooth a finger across hiseyebrows. “They’re black, but that’s not their real color.”

He frowns inquisitively. I know he’swondering how I know this.

“I could see what was not real about youafter I filled you with the light.”

Chex rolls over onto his back. After a longpause, he puts a finger into one of his eyes and then the other.When he’s done there are little black specks on the tip of two ofhis fingers. He rubs them together and they fall like granules intothe grass.

I inhale, shocked. He has emerald coloredeyes like mine.

“Another thing,” he says. “Earlier Ipretended not to know that I was once called Vestop Mallotnis.”

“I don’t understand,” I confess.

“I have a lot of enemies,” he points at hiseyes. “These are memorable and I don’t want to be remembered.”

His green eyes are watching me. He looksvery different, but still the same.

“What are you thinking?” he asks, squintingas if he’s trying to interpret the expression on my face.

“I’m thinking that you look slightlydifferent but I can still recognize you.”

He sniffs a chuckle.

“You’re not upset that I didn’t tell you thetruth?” He ventures to ask.

“No,” I reply sincerely. “I understand.”

He lifts his mouth to mine and his tonguetastes sweet. “I knew you would,” he says, smiling. Then he regardsme shrewdly. “You’re keen, you know? If you’ve been swimming,dancing, and playing for… How old are you again?”

“In Earth years?”

He chuckles a little, amused at my newness Ipresume. “Yes,” he breathes.

“8000 years.”

He lets out a strange whistle. “You’re anold lady,” he jokes. “On Earth you’d be a mummy.”

“Aren’t mummies dead?” I ask.

“Aha!” His voice is pleasant to my ears.“She knows about mummies. Of course, they’re real right? I’m avampire, so…”

“Yes,” I say with assuredness. “CertainEarth cultures practiced preserving the body after death…”

Chex kisses me before I can finish. Heguides me onto my back and mounts me. Our kissing is making megiddy inside. He is hard against me but isn’t spreading my legs toslip it inside of me. Instead we roll on the grass. Our legs enfoldeach other and our hands grab at each other’s bodies.

“Sorry about that,” he whispers, pinning hisforehead against my chest. “I’m trying to practice restraint. “ButI crave you, constantly.”

“That’s very resilient of you,” I say, “toact against your impulses.”

He lifts his face and is grinning, amusedagain. “Are you trying to make this difficult?”

“No!” I say sincerely.

“Ah, shit,” he mumbles, losing the battleagainst his will, he spreads my legs and now he’s inside ofme—again.

Chapter 12

The Steal

After taking a shower, I dress myself. Chexsuggested that we shower alone. He decided to give self-restraintanother go and keep his distance. I must say, I rather enjoyentering this shower contraption alone. The warm water slitheringdown my limbs is quite refreshing after the long day. My skin haschanged since leaving Enu; grime is able to cling easily to me. Myhumanity is strengthened.

I clothe myself in the same ensemble that Iwore earlier—blue pants, shirt, and boots, and once I’m finished, Ihead to the portal where Na’ta is also wearing similar articles ofclothing, except in black. This is the first time I’ve seen Chexsince he gave me space to prepare for the next leg of our journey.He’s gazing at me as if he wants to strip my clothes off again.When I smile at him, he quickly turns away and tries to focus onNa’ta and Telman.

“Ready?” he asks them.

“Born ready,” Na’ta answers. She can hardlycontain her enthusiasm.

The portal is lit for us.

“Wait. Do you have the medallion?” she asksme.

I feel for it in my pant pockets. “I haveit.”

With that confirmed, we hurry through theportal to meet Magnificent Star in the hub. The wire tentacles arealready attached to her head and Tetra is visible in the greatbeyond.

“The Olligark have prepared to make a standalong their southeastern borders,” she says as soon as she’s awareof our presence and then narrows her eyes. “I find this odd. TheTarantula is in the northeast, five hundred and thirty-three krugsaway, approximately the same as thirteen hundred miles.”

“So that makes it easy for us?” Chex asksregarding her keenly.

“Yes.”

“And that didn’t happen by mistake?” hefurther asks.

“I would say—no.”

Each one of us searches the other’sexpressions. I believe one name prevails in all of our thoughts. Iconsider our histories with this individual. Every face I see -except Magnificent Star’s - appears to have a plan for LarioExgesis, including me. And, like me, none of us is willing todisclose our plots.

“It doesn’t matter,” Telman says with adismissive shrug. “We do what we have to do, and more if need be.”He turns to Na’ta for affirmation and by the look in her eyes—hereceives it.

“Now what?” Na’ta asks Magnificent Star.

Magnificent Star walks to the podium andmoves her finger around the glass screen. She points out towardTetra. “See the tiny streak in the sky?”

The tip of her finger leads my eyes to asmall black slit in the muggy sky. It’s situated beneath Earth’ssun.

“That’s the portal,” she tells us. “You willenter Ol through it.”

“And Gia Scoralini and the Earth’s sun willfollow us,” I mutter, pondering aloud because we have a problem.“What will be the one factor Lario Exgesis did not anticipate?”