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"All the more reason to test your flying skills."
More like my patience. I steered the pod towards the flat area of land above the gorge. The cliff face looked like a steep drop into a narrow canyon. I got the pod into a lower speed on a flat trajectory so we could cruise. "Brace yourself." Since we didn’t have a lot of flat land to work with, I did a manual override of the landing autopilot. "There’s no landing strip."
Varus’s attention went from me to the land rushing up to greet us. The pod’s engine produced a whirring noise as the landing gear deployed from the bottom of the craft. The interior cabin finished depressurizing as the wheels touched ground.
Unlike the soft chalky soil of Racopia’s moon, the hard rocky ground made for a bumpy landing. If I wasn’t strapped in, I was certain I'd have bounced into Varus’s lap. The thought stayed with me.
The pod’s engine powered down once we were safely landed. I shut everything off and proceeded to raise the door.
Varus stopped me. "Wait. People are near."
I saw nothing but blue sky, rocky ridges, and deep canyon beyond the window. "Where?"
"Stay here. I'll get out first." Varus’s fangs revealed themselves. He looked a formidable sight as he opened the passenger door of the pod. His wings began to outstretch.
"Your Majesty."
I twisted in my seat to face the direction where the male voice came from. Near the right side of the pod, another winged Javorian emerged from below the gorge. Brown wings spanning at least ten feet across, he rose up over the pod. His dark hair grew from his scalp in spiky strands.
"Your Majesty, is that you?"
"Lerun, it’s me," Varus answered.
The Racopian turned his face in the direction of Varus’s voice, but I noticed he didn’t lower his head. I saw the blue-ish white color of his eyes and realized he was unable to see. Nonetheless, he came down to the ground, meeting us where we were, and took three confident strides towards Varus. "It has been a long time. Months." He extended his hand to touch Varus’s shoulder in greeting. "I thought you were truly gone."
"I’ve returned. I’m glad to hear your voice, old friend." Varus clapped him on the back in that universal bro hug all males seemed to do. The gesture brought a smile to my face.
As if sensing my change in expression, Lerun turned my way. "You didn’t return to Racopia alone."
"I did not. Lerun, meet Harper. She’s a medic and soldier from the Wanderstar Fleet. If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t be standing here."
A look of deep gratitude passed over Varus’s face as he stared at me, followed by another intense expression I did not know how to interpret.
Lerun stepped towards me, hand extended. "It would seem I owe you a debt of gratitude for bringing our true leader home."
I took the hand he offered and shook it. "No thanks necessary. I'm glad I was able to help."
"She’s kind, Varus. How did you not run her away with your beastly nature?"
"Harper doesn’t scare easily. Her metal boots also keep her from running too far."
"Will you stop?" I groaned. "My boots aren’t metal. They’re steel-toed. Get it right."
Lerun tilted his head. "Your accent. You’re not from here."
"No, I'm not from this planet."
"You’re not Javorian at all. What are you?"
Having spent most of my time in outer space on a military post, I forgot how many people had never come across someone from Earth. "I’m human. I'm from planet Earth. It’s a long, long way from here."
Lerun lifted his head as though he heard something. "I’ll take you to the others."
Varus helped me grab supplies. "What about the pod?" I asked him.
"It’ll be safe here. Few travelers come this way." He motioned for me to walk between him and Lerun to descend the cliffside.
"I didn’t exactly bring climbing equipment." I gazed over the edge of the cliff. A clear streambed ran below.
