Close Contact by Katherine Allred Read Free Book Online Page B

breath catching at the sudden conviction that we were crashing. Before I could comment—or scream—there was a gentle bump and I heard the air lock doors open. I tried to move, but it felt like my feet were glued to the deck.
    “Go!” Lillith’s urgent whisper got through to me and I darted through the tube and down the stairs she’d extended.
    The stairs withdrew, the doors closed, and the ship silently lifted from the ground. Before I could blink twice she was gone, leaving me all alone in the dark with no company except a tiny dragon bird.
    “You aren’t alone.” The ship’s voice came from the chip behind my ear.
    “What? You’re a mind reader now?” I subvocalized. My eyes were straining to pierce the darkness around me and my skin was clammy in spite of the chill night air.
    “I don’t have to be. I know you. There’s nothing to worry about. The only life forms nearby are so small they’ll be more afraid of you than you are of them.”
    Life forms? Eeek! I whipped around wildly, trying to see anything that might be creeping up on me. From off to my left came the sound of a splash and I jumped high enough to nearly make it back on board the ship.
    “What was that?”
    “A fish. There’s a pond in that direction.”
    I tried desperately to slow my heartbeat. “Ew. You mean a real, live slimy fish? Not the kind that comes on a plate?”
    A sigh sounded in my ear. “None of them start out on a plate. Now take a deep breath and try to relax.”
    Following her advice, I inhaled deeply and then coughed. “Good grief. What’s that smell?”
    “It’s called fresh air,” the ship told me caustically.
    “Yeah? I’ve heard of that.” I took another sniff and wrinkled my nose. All kinds of unknown odors assailed me, and I didn’t know what to make of them. Some of them were kind of tangy and intriguing. Others were damp and nasty. I tried hard not to breathe those last in, and concentrated on my surroundings.
    “Why is it so cold? I thought you said it was late spring.”
    “It is, but you’re at a higher elevation, where the nights are still cool.”
    Right. I knew that.
    I reached for my cloak, but before I could get it unfurled Peri took off, the dark closing around her immediately. Hastily, I whipped the cloak open and swung it around my shoulders. “Peri? Peri, you come back here right this minute!”
    She popped out of the night right in front of my nose, and I recoiled in surprise before she cooed at me in reassurance. “Don’t do that again,” I scolded her. “You scared me. Until I can see where we are, you stay on my shoulder.”
    “It shouldn’t be long now,” Lillith said as the dragon bird returned obediently to her perch. “The sun is coming up.”
    My eyes were finally getting used to the dark, and I realized she was right. The tree trunks were now visible as ghostly black hulks against a deep gray background. I huddled inside my cloak, taking comfort from Peri’s presence, and waited quietly.
    Overhead, the sky went from black and star filled to a midnight blue, then gradually lightened until the stars fadedaway. Fog swirled around my feet, adding an eerie quality to the setting I could have lived without.
    Abruptly, the top edge of the sun appeared over the hill in front of me and fired golden beams of light into the valley. I blinked in surprise at how close the trees were and how small the clearing was. It was a miracle Lillith had managed to squeeze into the space.
    Squaring my shoulders, I set off gingerly through the dew-drenched grass. Peri launched herself from my shoulder and hovered above a patch of flowers, humming in pleasure before she dived in and delicately sipped nectar from a blossom.
    Walking carefully to spare my sandals, it took the better part of an hour to reach the top of the hill, and by then the hem of my skirt was damp and sagging. I held the material away from me so the morning breeze could dry it a bit as I paused on the summit to look out over