This moment is all the reward I need in this life, all the sign I need that my plan is sound and right.
With one careful finger, I brush an errant hair out of Dolly’s face, sliding it along her impossibly smooth skin. I don’t think I’ve ever been happier.
“Thank you,” I whisper to the stars.
- - -
Dolly hides a yawn behind her hand. “In your tribe, Brank’ox. I mean, in your old tribe. In the mornings. Do they have a drink that wakes them up? Maybe one that’s very dark and tastes bad the first time you try, but then better and better until you just kind of need it?”
I chew on the food Mia gave us last night, enjoying the still cool air while the sun rises. “A dark drink?”
Dolly picks at a slice of meat, her eyes small and her long hair out of order. “Doesn’t have to be dark. Just… something that wakes you up.”
“We usually have the sun wake us up,” I explain. “It’s hard to sleep when the sun shines on your eyes.”
She sighs. “All right. No coffee in your tribe, either. Just asking. I never liked mornings much.”
“This morning seems fine enough,” I suggest, wanting to cheer her up. “We’re dry, we’re safe, we have food, we have water. And soon we will be back in the village.”
“Yes, I’m sure it’s just the most perfect morning in history. Never mind me. I had too much not-tequila last night. It makes me… just like you see me now.”
I gulp down some water and hand her the pouch. “This is the only drink we have. It might wake you up, too.”
“Mhm.”
I stand up and hoist myself up to the top of this mysterious, hollow half-mountain. It’s not as mysterious as before, now that I’ve been inside. It’s hard to imagine that this place was sacred to us just a year or two ago. Now, we know it’s not the residence of the Ancestors, but the remains of an old ship from the stars, built by aliens and crashed here not so many generations ago. Well, knowing the truth is better than not knowing. And really, the only thing that has changed is that the Prophecy of the Mother of Xren came true in a way we didn’t expect. The Ancestors still watch us and judge us.
The jungle below is gradually being lit up by the sun rays. We will have a good day’s march. A little longer than yesterday, because my treasure isn’t that close to the village.
Will I really show Dolly the treasure? The idea seems less good to me now than last night. I must not forget that she is an alien female. We don’t have much in common. Perhaps I should be content with the incredible night I had, with Dolly’s head in my lap while I just enjoyed it. Why ask for more?
But I did tell her I would show her.
I glance down at her. She’s only gnawing on a fruit, not very hungry. Well, we shall bring the rest of the food, and she can eat on the way.
We pack up the food and the various pots we’ve filled with unpleasant things.
“Tell me about the dark drink that wakes you up,” I suggest, checking that everything is properly fastened.
“It’s called coffee. We have it on Earth. It’s made from the fruits of a certain tree that we have there. Roasted and ground and then boiled. I don’t think there’s anything like it on Xren. Ready to go?”
I climb up and hoist Dolly after me, being careful to not place too much strain in her thin arms.
I scan the skies for irox, but there’s nothing to be seen. Not even a dragon with a blue flame in front of it.
We squeeze through the crack and start the walk through the jungle. I walk in front, making sure to check on Dolly every few paces. Today her hair hangs loose down her shoulders. It attracts my eyes even more than the braid did.
No, I must concentrate. This is still the jungle, and yesterday’s irox attack shows me that there are a lot of them here.
I take us past the underground cave where we sought shelter from the flying terrors, just in case we have to go down there again. But there’s not a sound from any threat, not a speck in the sky.
I turn so we’re walking more directly towards the place where I’ve hidden my treasure. I can still change my mind