by Roxie Ray
The Warrior’s Bride
Warriors Of Valkred: Book 3
Roxie Ray
Contents
1. Judy
2. Dhimurs
3. Judy
4. Dhimurs
5. Judy
6. Dhimurs
7. Judy
8. Dhimurs
9. Judy
10. Dhimurs
11. Judy
12. Judy
13. Dhimurs
14. Judy
15. Dhimurs
16. Judy
17. Dhimurs
18. Judy
19. Dhimurs
20. Judy
21. Dhimurs
22. Judy
23. Dhimurs
24. Judy
25. Dhimurs
26. Judy
27. Dhimurs
28. Judy
29. Dhimurs
30. Judy
Prisoners of Karcerikus
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The Warrior’s Bride
1
Judy
“Hello? Can you hear me? Is anyone there?”
I rapped my knuckles on the door of the tiny room for what seemed like the hundredth time, trying to ignore the ache in my hands. The walls were painted black, and there were no windows – just a small pinpoint of red light on the ceiling, which was giving me a splitting headache.
I was used to the wide, flat landscape of Macur, and the life-giving glow of the three suns that traveled across the clear azure skies. The rays could be harsh and punishing, but the Macurians had taught me how to withstand them during the livable hours of the day – and how to find shade and take shelter in it during the hours when no living being could survive such brutal heat.
Now I was being kept prisoner in a metal box so cramped it was practically a coffin, feeling as though the walls were closing in on me… terrified of smothering to death, or facing whatever even worse fate might be waiting for me on the other side of the door. It was all I could do to contract myself into a sitting position in this cramped, awful place. Lying down was impossible, which made sleep out of the question. I had no idea how long I'd been here, or even whether I was on a spaceship or the surface of a planet.
And perhaps worst of all, there was a nasty chill hanging in the air. My teeth were chattering, I couldn't stop shivering and rubbing my arms to keep warm, and my breath was forming white clouds in front of my face. My throat and lungs were aching fiercely, and I was starting to develop a wet, croaking cough.
But then, I supposed I shouldn't have been too surprised by the conditions I was being kept in. I'd been kidnapped by a Valkredian – and Valkredians were known for their appreciation of cold climates.
Torqa.
She'd accompanied Akzun, the Blood Ruler of Valkred, on a couple of diplomatic missions to my world in the past. I'd always been impressed by her proud military bearing, her intelligence, the inner strength and determination that radiated from her. She was clearly a cunning warrior, a fierce protector of her people. I'd never spoken to her – I'd always been too shy for that – but still, I'd admired her a lot.
Then, a short while ago, Dhimurs and Surge of Valkred visited our tribe with grim news: Torqa was on Macur, she had betrayed them grievously, and they required the aid of our warriors to rescue one of their own people from her. They were willing to trade weapons to hunt and defend ourselves with, and other supplies as well.
During the exchange between Dhimurs and my adoptive father Ekaid, the chief of our tribe, I remained hidden, watching from the shadows of a nearby hut.
Dhimurs was the reason I'd been raised by Macurians, despite the fact that I was a human. Ten years earlier, when I was still in my teens, he'd delivered me to them after my birth mother had died and left me alone on the lawless Cexiea space station. He knew he couldn't bring me back to Valkred with him – the blood of human females was too precious a commodity there, so the risk was too high that I'd end up a slave. Plus, Valkred had been in the middle of a long and terrible war with another race, the water-dwelling Mana, and he feared for my safety.
He decided that the best place for me to remain out of danger was Macur. The natives there were largely peaceful, and rarely had much contact with other sentient species. They hadn't even developed the technology to explore their own star system. There, in relative isolation, Dhimurs believed I'd be protected from the strife that plagued the rest of the galaxy.
He'd been right. Taken in by Ekaid and his consort Lidea, I'd never wanted for anything. I’d learned to build huts, weave clothing and baskets from the odd fibers that grew on the planet, transport water and edible vegetation from the caves to the surface, and hunt with the rest of the tribe. I’d stalked fierce cave trolls with laser-spears and rode flying sky-mantas across the red clay vistas and ravines. I had been embraced by the Macurians, never treated as an outsider or alien. And Ekaid had told me that one day, young males would travel from all over the planet to compete for the right to have me as a mate.
There were nights when I had looked up at the stars glittering in the sky and thought of myself as the luckiest girl alive. The universe was a harsh and unforgiving place – I knew this from the stories told by Ekaid and the rest of the elders. Abandoned children, especially human ones, didn't survive for long… or if they did, it was because they'd been sold into the misery and torture of slavery.
Still, seeing Dhimurs in our village after all that time – hearing his news of Torqa's treachery, and her terrible war machines gathered just a short distance away from us – had made me feel a strange anxiety, and compelled me to hide during his visit.
What would I say to him? Would he even remember me, or how profoundly he'd once changed my life? He was a tall, pale, winged, fearsome Valkredian warrior, and what was I?
Just a short, pink human with no wings, far from her own world. How could someone as majestic as he was take my affections seriously?
The hunters of the tribe had gone with Dhimurs, and when they returned later, they’d celebrated mightily – they'd been victorious, and driven Torqa's legion from Macur. But even amid the music, dancing, and feasting, I had felt uneasy, unsure of myself, desperately wanting something I wasn’t sure I should want. I’d remained hidden again.
Then, a few sun cycles later, Torqa returned.
She had descended on our village in the night like a living whirlwind of pure death and slaughter. She’d killed the hunters, their mates, even their children, in the most savage and bloody ways imaginable. Ekaid and Lidea had done all they could to stop it, but it was no use – even if they hadn't grown too old to fight properly, their skills in combat couldn't possibly have matched Torqa's. She’d captured them, and then ordered one of her soldiers to take them to a ship waiting in orbit.
After that, she’d meticulously stalked from hut to hut, looking for me.
When she found me, I’d been certain she would murder me, too. Before she had the chance, though, the most peculiar thing happened: Dhimurs appeared, leveling a weapon at Torqa. When he saw me, his had eyes widened. With recognition? Or fear that he wouldn't be able to save me from her? I didn't know. Torqa told him that my tribe had paid for interfering with her plans… and promised that others would as well, including him.
Then she had touched some kind of device strapped to her upper arm, the air shimmered around us, and the next thing I knew, I was waking up in this cell.
Alone. Frightened. Desperate to see my adoptive parents again, to make sure they were all right.
And most of all, hoping that Dhimurs would come to our rescue.
But I knew I
couldn't sit back and rely on that hope. I may have been an Earthling, but I was raised by Macurians, and expecting beings from other worlds to swoop in and solve our problems for us was not the Macurian way. Macurians were independent, self-sufficient. Our world was an endless desert, and in the desert, all one has to rely on is one's own intelligence, skill, and will to survive. Praying for water or shade was useless. Finding water or shade – or making it – was the only way.
I knocked on the metal hatch in front of me one more time, my voice rising to a plaintive tone like the wail of an unhappy infant. It was the most unpleasant sound I could think of, and definitely the most difficult to ignore. Perhaps I could annoy my captors into opening the door and talking to me. It was a long shot, but it was the best plan I could come up with.
“Please, if anyone is out there, won't you answer me? Can't you at least tell me where I am, or what you want from me? I want to see my parents! I want to see them now! Please, I’ll do anything!”
Heavy metal boots stomped outside, and then the door opened, revealing an armored Valkredian with a fearsome scowl. “What 'parents,' you stupid human trash? You're the only Earthling on this ship! Now quiet down, before I rip out your thrice-damned vocal cords!”
Then he slammed the door and marched off.
What was I going to do now? I hadn’t even had a chance to lunge at him, make an attempt at escape, or try to talk my way out of this box. How long would I remain locked in here before someone else came for me?
But wait… I hadn't actually heard him lock the door, had I?
I gave the door an experimental push, and sure enough, it swung open with a thin, rusty squeal. I couldn’t believe my luck – I must have been making so much noise for so long that I’d irritated him enough that he forgot to secure it!
I peered out, looking for more sentries and finding none. Torqa must have been so confident in her ability to overpower us should the need arise that she hadn't deemed extra security to be necessary. I could hear a few pairs of booted guards patrolling, but they sounded far enough away that if I heard them approach, I could probably find a hiding place before they reached me. And the corridor was shadowy enough to provide cover for me if I needed it. Like the chilly temperature, this wasn't surprising. Valkredians thrived in the dark.
I skulked down the hall carefully, looking for other cells so I could find Ekaid and Lidea. Now that I knew we were on a ship, I knew there had to be escape pods we could use to get away. Technology wasn't exactly Macurians' strong suit, but we had to try. We couldn't just wait here for whatever grisly fate Torqa had in store for us, like fattened dinqa calves waiting placidly to be butchered for the Festival of the Dancing Sand.
As I turned a corner, I heard footsteps drawing nearer, so I flattened myself against a corner and did my best to remain as still as possible.
A pair of unfamiliar-looking humanoids rounded the corner, marching in unison. Their hairless heads and bodies were covered in shimmering scales painted with complex tribal patterns, and their fins were iridescent. They had round, golden, unblinking eyes that seemed oddly hypnotic, and their long fingers were webbed. They reminded me vaguely of the fish I used to spear in the underground streams of Macur.
Could these be the Mana, the race the Valkred had been at war with for so long? Our people had heard many stories about them – that their vessels were spacefaring oceans, that they had the ability to mentally control water. They had never ventured onto Macur themselves, since the dry, hot climate would be extremely inhospitable to their physiologies. I couldn't believe I was finally seeing them firsthand.
Both of them were wearing what appeared to be collars of complex circuitry. Which made sense – Torqa considered the Mana her mortal enemies, so they'd never work for her except as slaves. No doubt the collars were meant to control their behavior and punish them for any transgressions against her.
As they passed me, one of them looked in my direction – and for a moment, his eyes seemed to focus directly on me.
My heart froze in my chest.
Why had I thought the shadows would protect me? The Mana lived in the murkiest depths of their planet's oceans – their eyes would naturally see in the dark, even more keenly than the Valkredians' eyes did. I expected him (her? I wasn't familiar enough with their race to guess at genders on sight) to reach out with webbed hands, seizing me and dragging me back to my cell.
Instead, the Mana simply turned and walked away, leaving me alone in the corridor once more.
My heart pounded. Was that it? How had I avoided detection?
Perhaps the Mana hadn’t seen me after all – or had seen me and decided to let me go anyway. After all, weren't they prisoners here as well? The collars would prevent them from defying direct orders, but maybe it was still within their power to simply pretend I wasn't there and move on. Let one of us find freedom.
Whatever the reason, I'd been given a crucial chance, and I had to act on it. I might not get another.
I risked going around a few more corners until I found another hatch that looked like the one I'd emerged from. When I pressed my ear to the metal, I heard hushed voices inside.
Ekaid and Lidea.
“Mother? Father? It's me.”
The voices stopped for a second. Then, Ekaid answered tremulously: “Judy? Thank the elders you're alive, my precious child! How did you manage to escape?”
I didn’t want to admit that I’d been goading the guards, so I simply said, “One of the guards left the door unlocked. Come, we don't have much time. Let me find a way to get you out of here.”
“No,” Lidea said softly. “You have to go without us, my darling daughter. We cannot come with you.”
“What?” I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Lidea had always sounded so proud and regal. Now her voice seemed tiny, trampled and broken. “That's ridiculous – of course you're coming with me! If there's a way off this ship, we need to find it together!”
“Please lower your voice, my child,” Ekaid whispered, “and listen to me. There’s not much time. We cannot not accompany you, do you understand? We are the leaders of the largest tribe on Macur – indeed, we may even be the only Macurians left alive from that tribe. Our status likely makes us valuable to Torqa, and important to her plans for conquest. If she learns of our escape, she will almost certainly devote time and resources to hunting us down, and any Macurians who may have avoided her wrath will be at risk. But if the only escapee is a human girl, with no blood ties to the Macur, there’s a better chance that Torqa will not pursue you, as she has something more valuable still in her possession. Do you understand now?”
I was shocked by his words, especially since in my time with Ekaid and Lidea, they'd almost never brought up the fact that I'm human. They'd just accepted me as part of their tribe, and never treated me as though I were special or limited due to my Earthling heritage.
Now, when I most needed to prove to them that I was just as strong and capable as any Macurian, they wouldn't let me.
I felt tears sting my eyes. “Please,” I pleaded hoarsely. “You saved my life. Please let me save yours.”
“Yes,” Lidea replied urgently. “We did save your life once. And we are asking for you to honor that by ensuring that it was not in vain. Go, Judy. Get yourself to an escape pod. Find help on Valkred. The coordinates will almost surely be programmed into the navigational computer. But before you flee, you must remember to deactivate the remote piloting system and the tracking device. Otherwise, you'll be recaptured immediately, and Torqa will punish you harshly.”
Lidea’s words twisted in my heart. How could she ask me to leave them to such a horrid fate?
“I can't,” I sobbed. “Don't ask me to do this. I can't leave you both to die.”
“If Torqa wished to kill us, she would have done so on Macur,” Ekaid reasoned. “But even if we die, that is simply the way of things, and it is to be accepted. No parent should have to outlive their own child – not even an adopted one. Now please, th
ere's no more time to waste!”
I put my hand on the door of their cell, wishing I could touch them directly. I knew they were right, but I hated it. I felt small and selfish for abandoning them.
Still, they'd made their wishes clear. There was nothing left for me to do but act on them.
It took a lot of sneaking around and staying out of sight before I was able to find the nearest group of escape pods. Thankfully, the signs on the ship were written in Valkredian, which I'd learned from an early age, due to Macur's long-standing trade agreement with Valkred. In my current situation, it felt like the only advantage I had.
I hoped it would be enough.
No, I reminded myself. You are Macurian. You do not “hope” for shade… you find it or make it.
I glanced around to make sure I hadn’t been followed, and then slipped into one of the pods; it was even more cramped than my cell had been, and panic from the confined space constricted my chest and throat again, making it hard for me to breathe or focus. But I had to. Ekaid and Lidea were counting on me. This was the least I could do.
I was afraid to even touch any of the buttons that lit up in front of me. Even with my knowledge of the Valkredian language, the terms were technological, unfamiliar to me. What if I hit the wrong sequence, and an alarm went off? I'd be trapped, with nowhere to run before Torqa's people caught me and dragged me back to that metal chamber. And this time, they'd make sure the door remained locked.
This would be my only chance. I had to make the most of it.