Starkissed by Lanette Curington Page B

Earth, the United States had been the last country to go metric in the latter half of the twenty-first century, mainly because space travel became feasible and metric was more exact.
    Two hundred years ago, distance was measured in inches, feet, and miles. Weight in ounces and pounds. Volume in cups, pints, and quarts. There were yards, tons, and bushels. Those confused her sometimes. Now, what was the formula to convert kilometers to miles?
    She glanced over her shoulder again and— The tree was nowhere in sight! She stopped and her heart fluttered. If she lost the tree, she lost the water and their only hope of survival. How could she be so stupid as to preoccupy her mind with nonsense again?
    J’Qhir had no business thinking her capable of anything or entrusting her with the simplest of tasks.
    She keyed off the counter and backtracked, paying attention this time. Now, she saw how the land swelled into a gentle rise then receded behind her. She had walked over it without noticing, and as she descended the slope, the crest had come between her and the tree.
    Had she come from this direction in the first place? She couldn’t remember crossing the rise before finding the stream. Nothing looked familiar, none of the short scrubby trees or the sprawling bushes. Oh, why had she agreed to the separation?
    She should sit down and wait for J’Qhir to find her. She didn’t doubt he could do it, but it might take hours. It might be nightfall before he came upon her, when the wild beasts roamed and howled. No. She couldn’t wait for J’Qhir to rescue her. She had to find a way back to the clearing.
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    Starkissed
    65
    By carefully examining the area close to the stream, Leith was able to pick up her original trail. She set the k-counter again. She recognized this way. The ground did not swell and surge. Yes, she remembered the two bushes that twisted together peculiarly.
    And the broken branch where she’d caught her jacket.
    Feeling more confident, she glanced back often to make sure the tall tree was still in sight. She purposely broke many branches along the way and replaced the tall thin tree with a taller dead tree in her line of sight. Luck was with her because three hours later, the same amount of time it had taken her to find the stream, she found the clearing beside the thorn bush patch where she and J’Qhir had parted.
    Commander J’Qhir had not yet returned.
    Leith threw down her jacket and flightpack, then rested in the shade. She munched on cone nuts and sipped the fresh water. She was tired but growing accustomed to physical exertion. Anxious to tell the Commander about the stream, she wished he would hurry.
    How long should she wait for him? An hour? Two? What if he never came, attacked by one of the beasts that roared in the night. What if she searched and found the tawny-umber remains—
    A huge black mass started to move across the sky, and Leith scooted further under the tree. She leaned against the trunk and watched as the birds made their way to warmer climes. It was the second flock she’d seen since their arrival. Warmer climes…south for the winter… If birds on Paradise acted the same as birds on Earth, she now knew which way was south! She could tell J’Qhir in which direction they should travel when it turned spring.
    When the birds had passed over, Leith stretched out again. Just as she settled, a distant drone slowly crept into her consciousness. The buzzing sound, not unlike Terran bees amplified many times over, grew louder with each passing second. Whatever made the noise moved at high speed in her direction.
    Leith climbed to her feet and watched. Over the treetops a dark cloud swelled into mammoth proportions. The writhing mass filled most of the southwestern sky, partially blocking the sun, and in no way resembled the flock of birds that had just moved overhead. She stood frozen in indecision.
    At that moment, J’Qhir broke through the trees at a dead run. He