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It was high noon, or as close to it as I could assume without a clock to check, when my boot caught on a protrusion of sand.
I fell and landed hard on my hands and knees.
My breath racked my lungs and I could barely breathe.
Egara bent down to help me up but I could hardly move.
I was exhausted.
Each breath sawed in and out of my throat, coming out horse and horrid.
They were not the painstaking breaths I fought for due to the atmosphere but from pure exertion.
My mind might be focused on the task at hand, able to keep going and push on, but my body had just about enough.
“We have to keep moving,” Egara said.
“I… can’t…” I said between gasps.
“Then I’ll carry you.”
I shook my head but he already bent down to sweep me off my feet.
His powerful arms clutched me close.
He staggered forward, more due to the uneven surface than struggling beneath my weight.
“I thought you… wouldn’t let me… slow you down?” I said.
“What can I say? I’ve grown attached to you.”
After about twenty minutes, I had recovered.
“I can walk now,” I said.
He didn’t say a word and continued to power through the valley that cut through the huge sand dunes.
I wriggled in his arms to get free.
“Really. Put me down. I can walk.”
He glanced at me,
“Are you sure?”
I gave him a look and wiped the sand from his cheeks and nose.
He sat me down and I dusted off my clothes.
He rubbed a hand over his face and hair, dislodging a bucket load as it spilled from his shoulders.
“Do you think they’re close?” I said.
“The drones could be anywhere. If it were me, I would send those drones out everywhere I could. They’ll cross each other’s paths, looking for any sign of us. All it takes is for one of them to discover our footsteps and they’ll find us for sure.”
Our footsteps in the sand.
Why hadn’t I thought of that?
