The Crossing (Book One)

Chapter Thirteen: Lucas

The rocking motion of the running barian caused Aurora's stomach contents to shift in a threatening manner. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply trying to soothe her nerve riddled stomach from embarrassing her.

Regret gnawed at her, but she'd rather regret taking action than standing by. It was that same queasy feeling in her gut that had caused her to quickly trust Lucas. If she wasn't so desperate to save Lily she might have thought it over first.

It was too late for regret and second guessing. She'd made her choice. Now she only hoped she hadn't been naïve enough to fall for a trap.

It had been close to daybreak when Lucas had hoisted her unto the barian. She had expected one of the many horses to be his and was more than a little shocked when she saw him approach the giant lizard in a solitary stall.

Lucas walked calmly towards it with Aurora trailing a few short steps back, unsure of running away in fright or staying close to Lucas for protection.

Its scaly, russet face turned and caused her to halt, blink, and gulp all at once. Her instinct had been to reach out to Lucas and clutch his arm, but she disciplined her reaction quickly.

She must not show fear, no matter how deep it went. It was time to at least act brave if she couldn't be brave. Afterall, this was clearly something that was perfectly natural in this world. Lucas took her hand in both of his and tugged her closer to the barian with a mischievous smile.

"He's perfectly harmless. And follows only my command." He continued to smile, coaxing her nearer. "You can trust me. I promise that I will not let him eat you, pretty one," he teased but then saw the startled look in her eyes.

"You're not his type. He's partial to huican leaves and fruits." That put her at ease. "You're not afraid of him, are you?" Its eye lids flickered in rapid succession.

Lucas's dare could not go unanswered. "N-no. Of course not." She bluffed and approached the four-legged beast with feign confidence. "I've just never seen anything like him before."

The vague truth she gave seemed to appease Lucas. She held out her hand to touch its thick skin and glanced at Lucas, who nodded his approval. "He's soft."

The giant flat oval head of the barian turned and bobbed toward her hand; she gently petted it in delight. Its eyes closed in satisfaction and Aurora was sure that if the barian could smile it would have been grinning.

"He's an incorrigible flirt. They say all things resemble their masters. Take that as you will." Lucas shrugged then began to adjust the saddle and harness while Aurora glided her hands across the barian's face, giggling.

She noticed the pale, golden vertical streaks across its body shimmering in contrast to the rest of the taupe hide, a perfect match to the shifting sands of the desert.

"What is his name?" Feeling at ease, she cupped its face in her palms making cooing noises at the beast.

"Munbata." Lucas finished arranging the saddle and turned to the nearby stable boy, "Has he been fed?" The boy eagerly nodded while taking a few steps back.

With a series of clicking noises, Lucas communicated to Munbata to lower himself. Lucas climbed effortlessly onto the saddle then reached out his hand to Aurora. She took it and felt herself being lifted onto Munbata's back as light as a feather.

The height was intimidating but Lucas' arms encircled her and drew her close to him. "Pull your hood over, the desert sun is unforgiving." With another clicking command, Munbata stirred from the stall, shrieked loudly and scared some of the horses as it hurtled out of the stables.