8. Taylor

Chapter 8

Taylor

I ’m having a nice time riding along the edge of the Sandstone pastureland, entering the rugged green mountains I’d previously seen from a distance.

I’ve been on this planet for a full diurnal now, spending most of my time with the satanic-looking Sten Sandstone. I slept in the room next door to his last night, and resided in his enormous, sprawling ranch house.

And about two hours ago I found him standing entirely naked in his outdoor shower and I stood there, like a frozen statue, openly gaping at his gorgeous body and that epic cock.

Embarrassing.

I had no idea that I was so into naked men. I’m not the type who normally shows up at strip clubs. I don’t even watch much porn. I’m well-known for being unusually focused on my work.

But this male’s edgy sexiness—those satanic-looking features mixed with the perfect body of an athlete or soldier or…a rancher in his prime, it’s too much for me to ignore.

Something has changed between us this morning and I find it easier to talk to him, as if we’re becoming fast friends. I enjoy chatting with Sten, which is good considering how much we’ve been thrown together in the last diurnal. He seems to have accepted my drunken, emo apology from last night in the library. And he doesn’t seem all that offended by the fact that I found him naked.

And I’m now a bit more jittery around him, because I can’t help but remember exactly how spectacular he looked under that outdoor shower. Each time I remember seeing him under that spraying water there’s a flutter in my stomach and a rush of heat between my thighs.

Focus on the job Taylor. Focus. Work. Act professional.

“Oh,” I gasp with surprise and then hold on tight as Leetra, my riding beast, lurches forward at a faster gait to keep up with Thunder.

I was able to go into the barn where I met Tilden, the ranch manager, and a couple of the ranch hands. Again, I did much better, acting completely normal around them and hiding my latent fear at their gruesome appearance.

I caught a glimpse of what Sten does and I was really impressed. The herds of cattle were amazing. It's a very impressive ranch, but sadly, I probably won't get to know much more about it before I have to leave.

It didn’t take much time to load up a few items and buckle an extra bag on the riding beast. The heaviest equipment I left behind because it's not strictly necessary to take to the site. We only need the small mobile equipment.

I lean over and pet Leetra’s soft head.

I'm thrilled to ride such a gentle giant, considering Sten's beast is black as night and scary. Thunder is the mate of my beast. Leetra’s tail is white, and her barbed tail is black and white, and her fur is very short and soft. Two black horns glint in the sunshine off her head. She has four strong legs, and smoke puffs out of her front nostrils, which leads me to believe she can also breathe fire, just like Sten and the others.

Both beasts are taking us along at a gait that I believe isn’t much slower than if we’d been on this trail using a vehicle. It’s a good thing I’m securely belted to the saddle.

And as we go down another path, Sten takes the lead, because he knows where we're going, and he's clearly the expert keeping the both of us safe and on track for this ride.

We’ve chatted during this trip, but now we've been quiet for a while. I got down slowly from the saddle during a quick lunch break, because to be truthful, my inner thighs are already getting a little sore, but I didn’t want to say anything. I have to act like I can completely do this, because I can.

We’re now winding through rocky trails, much closer to our destination.

Sten looks amazing on his riding beast. These two have been a team for years now. The rancher’s red, muscular back is on display as he rides in front of me and when he slows down next to me, he looks even better. His red skin and black pants against the black of his beast and saddle look striking. He doesn’t wear a hat or any type of clothing beyond his pants. He’s barefoot again but it looks good on him.

“Be careful,” Sten says, as he yet again monitors my progress.

“Okay.”

“Just beyond this point is where my property ends and the Bureau of Royal Land Management begins, but this is still my property.”

Soon after he gestures and moves Thunder off to the side and we’re stopping. “This is as far as we can make it on the beasts. We now need to progress on foot.”

We both dismount and Sten shows me how to secure Leetra’s reins to the saddle. “They will both remain here in this general area and wait for us while we walk the rest of the way to the cave.”

I look up at the rocky mountain we still must travel and take a deep breath. Then I see Sten attaching items to his belt. “Are all those weapons necessary?”

He grunts. “This is the wildlands. There are predators out here. I have brought a blaster, and a knife, because we don't know what's in that cave. Follow me.”

We make a short hike up an area that doesn’t have an actual trail and we’re simply walking in spaces between rocks and trees that make sense, going in a relatively straight line. The grade is very steep and I’m indeed huffing and puffing at this point and having to take short breaks. Finally, Sten scoops me up and is marching with me in his arms.

I scream out with fright, this time because the situation seems precarious. “Sten, this is too dangerous. We could fall. Let me down, I can make it.”

“Yes, but you’re too slow and we need to finish this and get back before sunset. I’ve carried calves that were three times heavier than you are up steeper mountains, on the edge of the rainy season. This is nothing. I’ve got you.”

He moves swiftly up the rocky mountain and soon stops on a wide ledge. I’m on my feet again and we’re both standing in front of an open cave.

I bite my lip, trying to contain my excitement.

“We’re here,” he announces. “I assume no one has entered but me. I’ve passed by this area a million times my whole life, and it's always looked like continuous rock without an opening. And then, after the last rainy season, I came by here and there must have been a landslide which exposed the mouth to a cave. Inside I found three different stone crates. I opened one and found rolled tablets that looked ancient. I didn’t touch anything after that, deciding I needed to keep this quiet and call in professionals.”

I lift my tablet and take a picture and then a few more of the rest of the area. “Good thinking. Treasure hunters are the bane of my existence.”

“Let me go in and look first,” he says, patting his weapon.

I nod in agreement and hand over a second light to Sten, but remain outside, a little bit nervous at the elevation. In the distance below are the two riding beasts who now look like tiny dots, grazing on a small patch of grass between rocks. It's very bucolic. From this vantage point I can see out and realize we've gone so far. I can't even remotely see the ranch anymore from where we started.

The whole time we traveled on very narrow trails that had thick forests or rocks on either side. He was right; there is no way that we could have made it up here in a vehicle or even a hovercraft, because there's nowhere to land.

I take more pictures and even a short vid. My handheld recorder documents the weather and elevation. I take samples of the soil. All of this will help us later to calculate the types of solutions to use to reveal more text on the delicate materials.

Sten emerges. “All clear.”

“Oh.” I turn and grin at him. “Are you sure you didn't see any animals or beasts?”

“No locats or fire goats, nothing, but I did see the crates left exactly as I found them. I'll show you.”

We go inside.

I switch on a flashlight and catch sight of the walls and ceiling of a large entrance that is without adornment. My boots crunch on fine rocks and hard dirt. The air smells stale. “It looks pretty rough,” I say, “not like somewhere where rituals were held or beings lived. Do you agree?”

“I’ve only been here briefly, because I didn’t want to interfere but so far, I don’t see anything that looks as if this was living quarters or where rituals were held. I believe this is simply a storage area. But the cave is deeper. The crates are at the back of the cavern.”

We walk deeper into the cave. It’s a bit creepy and quiet.

“If you find more artifacts after this, further back in the cave, or in another cave, you can always tell us and we will return.” And then I see the crates and force myself to remain calm and not rush up and open the first one I see. They are both made of smooth, white stone. “I expect that your archeologist will be very interested in the motifs carved into the front of both of these. These crates will later provide many clues to the origins of these artifacts. And you already opened both of these?”

“Yes, I had to know what was inside, but I did not touch them.”

I drop my bag on the ground and open it up. “Let me get some of the equipment set up first. This mobile stand is used so I can record the opening of the crate it has motion sensors so it will move with us and document our first contact with the artifacts. I’ve been doing my best to document this area as it is originally found, in case any of this topography changes. I’ve learned that you never know what could possibly happen.”

Sten nods, with a pleased look on his features.

We work together and soon we’re ready.

I rub my hands together. “We’re ready.” Finally, I start to kneel in front of the first stone crate, ready to lift the latch…

And then the whole inside of the cave begins to rumble. “No,” I yell. “Is this a…?” A sinking feeling rushes through my stomach as I sway on my feet. And then I'm thrown against Sten, and I can hear the grinding crash of rocks.

A scream flies out of my mouth.

“It's an earthquake. Watch out! Run for the outside!” he shouts.

Sten grabs my hand and pulls me with him. We make it out from where we’ve set up the perimeter for the crates. Small rocks and soot rain down on us. I can see the exit but the ground shakes harder and larger rocks fall blocking our way outside to the light.

We both pivot to continue forward, but before either of us can get any further, I'm flat on the ground, and then he's on top of me.

And the whole place comes crashing down.