The Haunted Way (Champions of the Crystal Book 5)

Chapter 3.3

"That," Sabrina said, surveying the pod's wreckage with her hands on her hips, "was a bad landing." Fortunately, the pod had been made so that occupants could survive inexpert or semi-conscious piloting.

"We walked away," Ford croaked out from where he lay sprawled on the ground beside her. He'd mostly retreated into his own mind again, so that he could make his body move out of the pod after curtly rejecting Sabrina's offer to carry him, or more likely drag him.

I walked, you crawled, she thought, but didn't say. "We have to get under cover as soon as possible. If the wind picks up, the crystal particles in the air could shred our lungs." It's like the Planet of Asbestos, she grumbled to herself. With ghosts thrown in, for good measure.

She caught a stray echo of Ford's accusatory question about the location of her combat helmet and gloves, and shot back a wordless reply that amounted to a reasonably obscene gesture. "Anyway it wouldn't have helped you. At least I still have my blaster."

"Ah yes. Reissians," Ford grunted, pulling himself upright again. He hadn't been injured, but he was having trouble concentrating on movement with the crystal dissonance burning through him. It was even worse than on the pod; he was functional only because of the foothold he kept in Sabrina's mind.

Sabrina turned away, knowing her help wasn't wanted and afraid Ford would misinterpret her gaze as pity or, God forbid, hovering. They'd had one nasty, though silent, exchange on the subject already. She studied the desolate landscape around them and tried not to let it discourage her further.

They'd chosen a mountainous area; the plains had been occupied by Pharon cities and were the most dense areas of crystal contamination. That had made landing the pod a tricky proposition, but it would also help them hide from the Reissians, if they came to the surface. Sabrina hoped for labyrinthine caves with a passion she hadn't thought herself capable of. She hated caves, especially caves with crystal and possibly Reissians on the way. But it was marginally better than being in the open, especially with the moving air a threat to their lungs.

"We're the first people to set foot here in ten thousand years," Sabrina said, turning a complete circle. This planet had been the origin point for the Wayfarers and the Deltarrans, hence the Miahns, and possibly other races as well. What little hard facts she'd been able to glean about the Pharon race suggested that they had seeded other planets, intending to harvest slave labor. And their artifacts looked strikingly Egyptian to her. She had to wonder if there was a connection.

"We're not here to do archaeology," Ford told her, laying a heavy hand on her shoulder as he struggled for balance on the rocky ground. "And ten thousand years is too few. But we're not here to debate history, either."

"Right. We've got to get into good cover. Then we can debate history while we wait for the Reissians, and you can patronize me all you like," Sabrina said, trying to sound less sarcastic than she felt.

"Promises, promises," Ford sighed. "There are a few caves up the slope a bit. Shall we climb?"

"You go first. I'll catch you if you slip."

"And who's going to catch you?"

"My combat boots. Go on!" Sabrina commanded.

"If we had your helmet, we could use the blaster energy pack to boost the com system and signal Rudolf for help," Ford groused, reaching for his first handhold on the slope.

Sabrina tried to squelch her guilt-stricken reaction to the thought of how she'd left the ship, but Ford caught it. "You didn't even try!" he said in astonishment.

"I did try! He had a shield!" she shot back. "And I yelled for Rudolf, but he didn't come in time."

"You gave that madman my ship!" He stopped trying to climb and turned to face her. "You practically handed him the access codes!"