by T. J. Quinn
Telling her, it was Ryoko’s blood didn’t seem like a good idea.
“Thank you.”
Sandra nodded and left the room, and I allowed myself to close my eyes and relax. I had won this battle. Now I had to win the war.
“Mom told me you were leaving,” Julia stormed into the room.
“It’s not safe for us to stay here. Not for us and certainly not for your people,” I told her in a gentle tone.
I would be forever thankful to the young girl. If it wasn’t for her, it would have been impossible to get Ryoko out of the creek’s muddy shore.
“I understand that it’s not safe for the general, but don’t you think you would be better off staying here?” Julia asked with a slight frown.
“Ryoko would never accept that.”
“He can’t force you,” she protested.
“He doesn’t have to. I’m safer by his side,” I assured her.
“I was hoping I could convince you to stay,” she said in a sad tone.
“It’s not a good idea,” I replied, knowing I would miss her.
Back at the children’s quarters, I barely had any friends. It was too hard getting close to someone that would soon disappear from your life. No one did it. Not even those that became lovers shared a significant connection. It was all about living the moment since the future was uncertain and definitely dark.
Julia sighed. “I hate this world,” she ranted. “Everything is so hard, a constant struggle just to live one more day,” she added.
“I know how you feel. My family and I were captured the night of the attack. I haven’t seen my parents ever since. I was sent to the children’s quarters, and they simply disappeared,” I told her.
Julia gasped. “You were taken? God, it must have been terrible.”
“It was, but I managed to survive,” I assured her.
“How did you escape?” Julia asked. “We were told it’s impossible to escape the headquarters.”
“It is,” I confirmed. “Ryoko got me out just before I was sent to the breeding program.”
“Breeding program? What the hell is that?” she asked, horrified.
“The Asseptians are enforcing breeding on several women. Those infected lose their ability to reproduce themselves, and the aliens are in constant need of new humans for them to thrive,” I explained, oozing all the contempt I felt for them.
“That’s awful,” Julia said with a deep frown.
“The babies are taken away from their mothers only weeks after they are born, and they never see them again.”
“There must be a way to stop them. We can’t allow this to go on… it’s so unfair,” she ranted.
“War is never fair,” John said when he walked in.
“Quite true,” I agreed. “These creatures are too powerful, at least for us,” I added, exuding a lot of frustration.
“I’ve arranged everything for you to leave as soon as the sun goes down. It’s safer to travel during the night, and our guards will take you all the way to the cave,” he explained.
“Is Ryoko already conscious?” I asked, slightly worried.
“It’s better if he isn’t. Safer for us. Our men will carry him all the way there,” he informed, and I agreed.
It wasn’t the best option, but I understood why he wanted things done this way. It wouldn’t change things, but it probably calmed their fears a bit.
“I’m ready when you are,” I assured him.
Sandra came in with some clothes, and John nodded. “As you probably understand, it’s better if you too ignore where we are,” he said in a stern tone. “Once you’ve put on your clothes, we’ll put you to sleep. By the time we reach the cave, you should be fully awake,” he added.
I pursed my lips and swallowed my protests. I hated the idea of being completely helpless, but there wasn’t much I could do. I had to trust they wouldn’t hurt us on our way to the cave.
“As you wish,” I accepted, nodding.
“Good!” he turned to walk away, but he looked at me at the last minute. “I can’t say it was a pleasure knowing you, but I truly wish you well. I hope you understand we are at war, and my main concern is to protect my people.”
“I’m well aware. It was never our intention to cause any trouble to you or anyone else, for that matter,” I assured him.
He nodded and finally left the room.
Sandra helped me put on the clean clothes she had gotten her, including Ryoko’s cloak, before she gave me a small glass with a blue liquid in it.
“Drink. It will make you sleep, and when you wake up, you’ll be out of here,” she told me with a wavering smile. “It’s better this way. You’re not strong enough to walk all the way to the cave,” she added as if trying to justify her husband’s decision.
I patted her hand. “I understand and appreciate all your help, believe me.”
Sandra nodded. “Take good care of yourself, and know you’ll always have a home here if you ever feel the need to escape,” she told me before she hugged me. “Please, thank your man for saving my baby girl. She is the only one I have left,” she added, her voice choked with emotion.
“I’ll tell him.”
I drank the bitter beverage and lay down, waiting for it to kick in. it was faster than I expected, and by the time I opened my eyes again, I was being carried on the back of a sturdy man. We were still walking through the woods, and the dawning sun was already coloring the night skies.
I looked around, trying to find Ryoko, but I couldn’t see him. Not without letting the man carrying me, I was awake, and I wasn’t ready for it. Not yet.
“How much further?” one of the men asked in a hoarse tone.
“We should be close now,” another one replied.
“The alien is waking up. I don’t want to be anywhere near him when he does,” the first man said, letting out his fear.
There was a moment of silence before the other one replied. “I guess we can leave them here. They can find their way to the cave from here,” he said, clearly not comfortable with the idea of a furious Ryoko, either.
I heard a muffled thump, and a few seconds later, the man carrying me put me down on the ground next to a still unconscious Ryoko.
“Let’s get the hell out of here before they wake up. With luck, we’ll never see their faces again,” one of the men grumbled, and the others agreed.
I waited a couple of minutes to make sure they were really gone before I opened my eyes and looked around. I wasn’t able to recognize the woods around me, but that didn’t surprise me. The last time I was anywhere near here, I was too busy to look around.
Sighing, I finally turned to look at Ryoko. His body was entirely covered with his battle armor. Smirking, I realized why John had accepted my suggestion and let us go.
They had tried to kill Ryoko and failed miserably. That’s why they were so scared. They knew they wouldn’t be able to face a fully awakened Ryoko.
I laughed, but my laugh was cut off by a violent cough. It took me a few moments to recover from it, and when I did, Ryoko was finally waking up.
“What happened?” he asked, sitting up. “Where are we?”
“Somewhere in the woods, close to where you confronted Sylan,” I told him, with a weak smile.
“Why are we here? The last time I regained consciousness, I was in some sort of dungeon,” he asked, frowning.
“I convinced them it was in their best interest to let us go,” I replied. “They wanted to kill you.”
His face turned into a somber mask. “How did you convince them?”
I shrugged. “I told them the dragons would find Sylan’s dead body and would go after us,” I explained.
“Smart girl,” he said, with a faint smile on his face.
I smiled back. “How are you feeling?” Ryoko was still wearing his armor, and I couldn’t see his wound.
“I’m fine. It took me longer than I expected to recover from the injury on my back, but now it’s healed,” he assured me a
s he jumped to his feet. “It’s not safe to stay here,” he pointed out. “Can you walk?”
I slowly got up and nodded. “Yes, I can,” I assured him, though I had my doubts.
I was having trouble breathing, and I knew my temperature was rising. The pneumonia wasn’t cured, and it would be a while for it to disappear, especially if I couldn’t get antibiotics.
“How did we get to the human settlement?” he asked, curious.
“Remember the girl you rescued from the scavengers? She helped me to take you away from the creek’s shores into a nearby cave,” I explained. “Her people found us and took us to their settlement.”
“Why would they do that?” he asked, surprised.
“Julia, the girl you saved, refused to let us behind. She told them you had saved her life and that she couldn’t let us out here to die,” I explained.
“She should have known her people would want me dead,” he said, scowling.
“I don’t think she even considered that possibility,” I admitted. “Where are we going?” I asked him a few moments later as I followed him through the woods.
“Home!” he replied, succinct.
“Do you think it’s safe? What if the Septians found Sylan’s dead body and want revenge?” I asked, worried.
“I’m sure they sent the dragons to look for him, and they must have found the dead body the day after he died. They probably also found the dead scavengers and assumed all was connected,” he explained. “Kayla, the Septian in charge of the infirmary and controlling my people and the dragons, knows Sylan made deals with the scavengers.”
“Won’t the dragons mention they scented you and me in the scene?” I asked, still worried.
“The dragons don’t speak. They just follow orders, they don’t answer questions, and they don’t give explanations. They will do what they were told to do: find Sylan,” he explained in a cold tone.
“Don’t you think the Asseptians will want more answers than that? Sylan played an important role in their little scheme,” I asked, not wholly convinced.
After everything we had gone through, the last thing I wanted was to be taken back to the aliens’ headquarters.
“They won’t give it that much importance. They have hundreds of Septians to replace him,” he explained, oozing contempt. “The Asseptians don’t care about their people the way other species do,” he continued. “Most of their offspring are just their way of keeping their species alive. Sylan was certainly not one of their favorite. The Asseptians abhorred his lustful activities with the human females, considering it beneath them.”
“How will you explain your absence?” I asked, still not convinced.
“I will tell them I injured myself while hunting. They will have no reason to doubt me,” he replied, confident.
“You make it sound so simple,” I mumbled, making a short stop to catch my breath.
“It is simple,” he replied, his stone still cold.
Things were different between us. I could feel it in my bones. He had paid little attention to me when he woke up, and right now, he hadn’t noticed I wasn’t following him.
He was probably mad at me for the whole ordeal, and he had all the reasons in the world to be so. I had put both our lives in danger with my stubbornness, and he had almost died, defending me.
I refused to think his distancing had anything to do with his last words to me. It would be too hurtful.
Sighing, I resumed walking, trying not to lose sight of him. The last thing I wanted was to get lost in these woods.
“Don’t stay behind,” he scolded me, and I scowled.
“I’m sorry, I’m doing my best,” I assured him, looking at his imposing figure, standing a few yards away from me.
“What’s the matter?” he asked with a frown.
“I’m just a bit tired, that’s all,” I lied.
This wasn’t the moment to talk about my aches and ailments. Though Ryoko assured me he was already recovered, I had a hard time believing it. His wound had been far too great to heal so quickly. I didn’t want to burden him with my silly aches.
“Do you need any help?” he asked, but I could tell he wasn’t that inclined to help me.
I shook my head. “If you could slow your pace, I’ll have no trouble catching up with you,” I assured him.
He nodded and resumed walking, slowing down his pace.
A few yards later, my throat started itching, and my breathing became even more labored. I needed to cough, and though I did my best to prevent it, it was getting harder and harder.
Once more, I stopped, let him walk further away from me before I started coughing, muffling the sound with the jacket I was wearing.
He heard me anyway and walked back to meet me.
“I’ll ask this once more. Perhaps, this time, you’ll tell me the truth. What’s the matter with you?” he asked, his tone colder than ever.
Exhausted and with shaky legs, I let myself fall to the ground on my knees. “The cold… made me sick… I’m not fully… recovered,” I explained while coughing.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked in a scolding tone.
“It’s not important,” I assured him, but the cough wouldn’t go away.
My lungs hurt like hell, and I was sweating a lot more than I should, considering the cold breeze blowing.
“How can you say that? You can hardly breathe,” he pointed out, upset with my dismissal.
“I just need some time to rest,” I told him, taking a seat on the ground and leaning against a tree trunk.
He crouched in front of me, his back facing me. “Get on my back. I’ll carry you,” he ordered.
“No… you mustn’t… even if you feel better, the wound was far too great…” I protested.
“I’m fine!” he spurted in a loud tone. “For once, do as you’re told and up on my back,” he insisted.
With my heart aching and still having trouble breathing, I finally accepted. After all, my disobedience had brought us here.
With me in his back, he went back to his usual pace. I was still coughing, but not as much as before, though the harm was already done. I was feeling weaker by the minute, and soon the world was going dark around me.
Chapter Seventeen
Ryoko
Nothing had ever tasted so sweet, so inebriant. One drop of Maya’s blood and I was flying high, my entire body responding to it as if I was drinking from the fountain of eternal life.
Maya moaned, her face showing the same rapture I was feeling, and I kept drinking until her body went limp in my arms. Afraid I had taken more than I should, I sealed the tiny holes and pulled her closer to my body as I felt my consciousness slipping through my fingers.
When I came to my senses, I was still feeling weak, though definitely better, I could summon my armor before darkness claimed me again, and my last thought went to Maya. I tried to reach her in my final moments of consciousness, but I got no answer.
The next time I woke up, I was surrounded by strangers. They all had homemade weapons, but despite that, they looked pretty frightened. I tried to move and quickly realized I was chained to the wall. I tested the chains and realized I could break them easily, but I needed to know what was happening before I did that.
“He’s awake,” one of the men announced, and an older man stepped forward.
“What’s your name?” he asked.
I could have answered his question. Reaching a human mind was the easiest thing I’ve ever done. They had no telepaths amongst them, so they had no protection whatsoever.
However, I had no interest in answering their questions. I still wasn’t strong enough to face them all. I should have been healed by now, but I guessed Maya’s blood still wasn’t strong enough. I should have claimed her when I could; now, I wasn’t even sure I would ever see her again.
One of the men poked me with his improvised spear. “Answer the question,” he demanded in a harsh tone.
I remained impassive as if I didn’t eve
n understand what I was being told, which only infuriated the old man.
“We’re wasting our time here. We should kill him and let the vultures feast on his disgusting body,” he said, oozing scorn and hatred.
“Marcus, your opinion has been heard and voted against,” another man intervened, walking into the somber room I was in.
“You’re making a huge mistake, John. How the hell do you plan on judging a creature that is not even able to answer a simple question?” Marcus replied, still furious.
“We’ll find a way,” John assured him.
“You’re putting us all in jeopardy. The other generals might be looking for him as we speak, and if they find us, we’re doomed,” Marcus insisted.
“You’re exaggerating. The generals have no way of finding us,” John assured him, but Marcus' words had stirred some discomfort in the rest of the men.
“You don’t know that. People say they can communicate with their minds…” Marcus retorted, still not ready to give up.
“Those are just rumors,” John dismissed the other man’s words, and I almost chuckled.
They were close to the truth. Yes, we were telepaths, but unfortunately, our gift had limits, and distance was undoubtedly one of them.
“Again, you don’t know that. After everything we’ve been through, I’m not willing to let your poor judgment kill us all,” Marcus ranted, stepping closer to me and trying to stab me with his sword.
My armor made the blade slide down, unable to penetrate my chest. A collective gasp echoed in the room, and before anyone could stop him, Marcus tried once more, this time aiming to my neck. Once more, nothing happened, and they all stepped back.
They were finally getting an idea of what they were up against. I roared and pulled the chains from the rock wall where they were attached, and they budged a couple of inches.
This was enough to scare them off and leave me alone in the dark. I relaxed and must have slid into another heavy slumber. My body needed rest and time to fully recover from Sylan’s attack.
A strange noise woke me up. This time, I was back in the woods, and Maya was with me. I was so relieved I almost pulled her into my arms, but I was still stiff from too many days lying down, not to mention I hadn’t eaten in a long time.