Pirate's Gold - S.J. Sanders Page 0,58

not happening. Try again. Where would be a safe place to camp that will allow us to arrive at the crash site before nightfall?”

A low hiss escaped her mate as he scanned the cliffs. Finally, Veral jerked his chin, his mandibles clicking, as he gestured to the wide ledge the birds had vacated, some distance away from them. Terri’s stomach dropped as she looked at it. Not only would they have to climb down among the trees a considerable way, but traveling along the narrow rocks and outshot trees until they reached the ledge wasn’t going to be easy.

The pirate’s lips thinned as he noted the location of the ledge. “We go there?” At Veral’s short nod, Egbor turned to address his crew. “All of you keep in tight formation. The Argurma has found a suitable ledge for us to make camp on. Make haste. We will not have the sun for long!”

There was some hesitation among the crew, and numerous grumbled complaints as the males noted the location of the ledge and how far they still had to travel before the sun sank below the horizon. Even Azan seemed a bit paler than normal.

“Are you all right?” Terri whispered.

Azan swallowed and her hand tightened around the butt of her blaster, but she jerked her head in a short nod. “I am not a fan of heights, I admit, but I will be fine. That is… quite a drop.”

“How the hell is a pirate scared of heights?”

“There are few opportunities to dangle over impossible ledges unless one is stuck somewhere in engineering of a war class fleet ship. Not even the great monstrosity that we crew has any such expanse as that. Fighting in space involves little in the way of heights,” Azan replied with the hint of a smile.

“We’ll be fine. Just take it slow and we’ll make our way over there,” Terri said as she swallowed back her own fear. She normally didn’t have a fear of heights, but she didn’t typically test the whims of fate by walking along ledges with drop-offs that were hundreds of feet deep.

Veral’s vibrissae expanded, a soft click rattling from him even while his vibrissae hissed with their own vibrations as he shook his head in the negative. “This ravine is much like the gorge of Ilathitankyu on Argurumal. Best to move quickly. Erosion will make some footholds unstable. The trees and vines will give some added stability, but do not trust that it will remain so. Move as quickly as you can as you pick out your hand and footholds. Stay close to me if you can. I will identify what appears to be the most secure route. I cannot guarantee how long it will hold, but if you are at my side there is a high probability of safe arrival at the ledge.”

Azan let out the breath that Terri hadn’t even noticed she was holding. The Blaithari circled her head, releasing the tension with tiny cracks and pops.

“I am to trust my life to a male who half a rotation earlier threatened my wellbeing… Very well then,” Azan mused with something close to her normal cheer, a crooked smile pulling at the corner of her mouth.

Veral narrowed his eyes on the pirate and made a sound like a dismissive growl mixed with a laugh before turning away to address the more immediate problem: the climb down.

Terri wrapped her fingers around the horn protruding from his elbow, clinging to him, though his arm didn’t move away from her as he angled them at the edge of the chasm. Glancing down, his glowing blue gaze met hers and he squeezed her, trying to comfort her.

“You will do well,” he assured her. “Remember the training.”

“Of course,” she agreed and took a deep, steadying breath.

This was part of the game of being a salvager. In space, she prepared for months for situations such as this. This trip would prove what she learned. The pirates were an unanticipated addition, but having to climb from great heights was something that she did over and over again in the simulations, in addition to the physical training Veral had her do in the cargo bay on the obstacles he had constructed.

It was just climbing. She had this.

Still, she couldn’t hold back the tiny squeak of distress that left her when Veral released her and stepped away. His eyes pinned on her, his vibrissae stirring with their vibrations as he peered down at her.

“Close behind,” he reminded her.

He didn’t