Heart Of The Sun Read Online Free PDF Page B

and starts to hurry. Once we’re out in the desert, they’ll be able to see us from overhead. We need to stick to the trees as much as possible. He cuts through vines as he makes his way forward, resting every now and then to relieve himself of Vash’s weight. I can’t stop. I need to keep pushing on. If we’re going to cross the desert, we need to do it at night or we’ll be sitting ducks from the air.
    The day wears on and still he sees no end to the forest. Vines threaten to choke him from every angle and he slashes at them in desperation. He’s covered in cuts and gashes from a multitude of thorns, and he offers a silent prayer to the Gods that none of them are poisonous. Vash seems to feel heavier with every step, and the warmth of him only makes Alan sweat harder.
    He trips, going down hard. Vash falls from his arms and rolls into a pit of mulch and vines. Alan recovers and starts to crawl towards Vash when the vines begin to move, pulling Vash in like a fresh meal. That’s exactly what he is! Alan reaches for Vash and grabs his shirt, pulling on him desperately. He feels the material tear and moves to his arm instead, tugging with all his might.
    Vash stirs in the grip of the vines. Realizing his predicament, he reaches for his knife with his other hand and manages to free it. He hacks at the vines and they recoil, only for others to snake around him. He concentrates, channeling green light and setting the vines on fire. There’s a loud, piercing shriek as the vines let go and retreat into the ground. Alan rushes to Vash’s side as he staggers, reaching out for something to hang onto. Alan catches him as he falls.
    “Easy now,” Alan says. “I’ve got you. He touches Vash’s head to feel intense heat radiating from him. The fever’s getting worse. I’m guessing he shouldn’t have used his power again like that. He feels his own heart racing in his chest. I need to rest myself, but we can’t stop here. That thing could come back at any time, and the sound it made must have been heard for miles. 
    He moves the pack around to the front of his body and picks Vash up on his back. It’s a little awkward at first since Vash is taller, but Alan soon finds it easier to make progress. By nightfall, he breaks through the vines and sees the open sky and purple sand before him.
    “We made it, Vash. To the desert at least.” He sets Vash down and opens the water bottle, lifting it to Vash’s lips and pouring it into his mouth.
    “I’m... sorry...” Vash says, half conscious. “Leave me... go on ahead...”
    “I can’t do that. I’m not going to leave you for the commandos. You saved my life.”
    “You saved... mine in return. The debt is... paid. No reason... for us to both die.”
    “It’s not about debt,” Alan says. “I want to help you. Besides, I don’t want to do this alone.”
    “Thanks.” Vash closes his eyes, and soon falls into a restful sleep. Alan feels his eyes closing against his will as he rests up against a tree, and soon he’s catnapping as well, one hand on his gun, one hand on his knife.
    He wakes three hours later. The Rinax night is still young, the rotation of the planet taking thirty-six hours instead of Earth’s twenty-four, and he’s grateful for that as he stretches out his aching limbs and lights his flashlight. He looks across at Vash in the low light. He seems to be sweating less now. Hopefully the fever’s going down and it’s not just the cold. There has to be a better way to get him across the desert.
    He looks around the the vines, and the loose branches of the leafless trees. Maybe if I lash some branches together with vines, I can make some kind of sled to pull him across the sand. It has to be worth a try.
    It took him another two hours to gather the vines and branches and put together the sled, but when he’s done he has a steady enough looking platform to lay Vash down on. He covers him with a blanket and ties two vines to the front, using them to pull