Madness Unmasked: Dragons of Zalara

by ML Guida

  She bit her lip and looked wildly at the jungle, her heart thumping hard, praying Ysam would hear her.

  Where are you?

  Terror slapped her in the face. She was on her own and if she wanted to survive, she’d have to rely on her instincts.

  The Gog finally stopped and threw her on a metal chute. Pain slammed into her back. She tried to get up, but he lifted his foot and shoved her down the chute backward. She whizzed down into blackness screaming, her arms and legs flailing.

  He glared, his single orange eye glowing like a hot coal. “Stop screaming!”

  She flew backward and slammed on all fours like a cat with nine lives. Agony gripped her knees and straight up her arms. She gulped for air, too scared to do anything else. Cold, damp air drenched her as if a bucket of ice water had been thrown over her head.

  The hole was at least twenty-feet deep, smelling of decay and rot.

  Overhead, the Gogs were talking. She could barely make out their hairy bodies. Lord of mercy, they were talking. They weren’t the dumb monsters she’d thought they’d been. And––she could understand them. Maybe they possessed the same communication that the Arians’ had. Why hadn’t they spoken before?

  She wished she was telepathic and could contact Ysam, but she could only read auras.

  Something moved in the darkness, and she scampered to her feet, trembling violently, her teeth chattering. Her heart beat rapidly. She’d give anything to feel Ysam’s strong arms around her, pulling her close. But he wasn’t here. If she wanted to survive, she had to be tough, not second guessing herself, and needed a weapon. She skidded her hands along the dirt floor, hoping to find a rock or stick or another branch, but her fingers only flickered over dirt.

  “I’m not going to hurt you,” a tired, husky voice said.

  Kathy backed up against a cold wall, her heart jumping up and down so hard as if ready to climb out of the hole. “Who…who are you?”

  Her voice was barely a whisper.

  “My name’s…Walfea.”

  She couldn’t believe her ears and the tension binding up her muscles lessened. “Walfea? You’re an Arian?”

  “Yes. You?”

  “I’m…I’m…I’m human. My name’s…name’s Kathy. Are we…the only ones in here?” Her throat dried up with fear.

  “For now. Welcome to Shades’ hell, Kathy.”

  “I can’t…believe you’re still alive.”

  He released a low growl. She backed up against the wall away from him. God, he was a bear. Maybe he was starving and planned on eating her.

  “Stay…stay away from me.” Not that she had the power to do anything to stop him. He was a bear––a hungry bear.

  “My brother…Dech…didn’t make it. There wasn’t…anything…I could do…But listen. The screaming…the tearing…the crunching.”

  “I’m so sorry.” She put her hand over her thumping heart to keep it from escaping through her ribs, but the horror tore into her. Cold trampled over her, and she wished she could curl up in a blanket. She wrapped her arms around her legs and huddled against the wall.

  “But what kills me the most is that we were all betrayed.”

  She jerked her head up. “Nucl?”

  “Yes. Did he betray you, too?”

  “I’m not sure. We needed food, so some of the other women and myself were gathering vegetables when I was attacked.”

  He didn’t answer right away. “Nucl has been secretly setting up the raids.”

  “How do you know?”

  He laughed bitterly. “He’s actually come down and bragged. If I ever get out of here, I’ll rip him to pieces.”

  His scathing tone gave her goose bumps.

  She absently went to finger Lisa’s bracelet that always made her feel closer to her, but only brushed over her skin. Tears ran down her cheeks. It was gone. Her chest clenched and the same hollow pain washed over her. Losing the bracelet was like losing her sister all over again.

  She rested her head on her knees, hiding her quiet sobs. Lisa was gone. The Arians were gone. Her dragon was gone.

  Taking a deep breath, she laid her head against the wall and stared up the dreary shaft.

  Ysam, find me.

  Overhead, the Gogs mumbled among themselves. Loud thumping and flapping echoed above them. A horrible shriek made her jerk out of her skin. “What…what was that?”

  “Another creature has been murdered.”

  “What?” She rubbed her palms up and down her arms, trying to generate heat and stay warm.

  “I thought…I thought we were the only ones those things hunted.”

  Her voice was shaking so hard she could barely talk.

  “No, we’re not. This is a Kamtrinian prison.”

  Terror iced her lungs, cutting off her air, then snaked to her heart, freezing the beat. All the stories Anonghos, Agnes and Ysam had told her about the Kamtrinians killing all of the planet’s native life, depleting all the natural resources, and leaving the planet decimated made her insides quiver.

  Agnes said the Kamtrinians were made up of stone. She put her shaking hand on her sweating forehead. This was unreal. “I can’t…believe this.”

  “Better get used to it. You’re going to be here a long, long time… Unless they decide to kill or eat you.”

  Don’t panic. Don’t panic. Don’t panic.

  Get a grip, Kathy. Think!

  She forced herself to take slow deep breaths, trying to get her bearings. Her eyes started to get used to the darkness. With the light from above, she could barely make out Walfea’s form. He was slumped up against the wall.

  Clicks and clunks and clacks reverberated above. She looked up, but only saw shadows flickering off the wall. “What’s happening?”

  Gogs brought two buckets tied them to a chain that dangled over the hole. They slowly lowered the buckets down the hole, but disappeared into the dark. A foul smell grew stronger as the buckets grew closer.

  “They’re feeding us.”

  “Excuse me?”

  Something metal scrapped the ground. The chains creaked as the buckets were dragged up.

  “Don’t eat the meat.”

  She closed her mouth, knowing the answer, but she had to ask. “Is it…”

  “Yes, it’s from the other prisoners.”

  “Oh, god.” She covered her mouth, nausea gripped her stomach hard.

  Walfea moved. “You need to eat something.”

  “No.” She shook her head, refusing to eat anything prepared by the Gogs.

  “They don’t feed us often,” he said.

  “I don’t care. Ysam’s coming.”

  “The dragon? I don’t think they’re afraid of him anymore. Thanks to a filthy spy.”

  “Nulc.” Just saying his name left a nasty film on her tongue.

  “Yes. He even helped the Kamtrinians destroy the settlement on Sutois’ moon.”

  “What a bastard. Why is he doing this?”

  “I don’t know, but he hates Tash, and he’s bent on punishing him.”

  “How do you know this?”

  He lumbered off the floor and looked up. “I have keen-hearing.” He sighed and lowered his head. “Sometimes I wish I didn’t.”

  She gingerly put her hand on the wall. “These are so smooth.”

  “Too hard to climb.”

  Defeatism bore down on him.

  “Maybe for a bear or a human, but not a dragon.”

  “Tash is looking for a settlement, not these dreary caves. The Gogs are smart and have a couple of huts away from here.”

  She frowned. “A front?”

  “Yes. They want Tash and the others to attack the settlement.”

  Her heart skidded to a stop. “It’s a trap.”

  “Nucl has a special surprise.”

  “Which is?”

  “He plans to hand over Tash and the others, including your dragon, to the Kamtrinians.”

  “No! I won’t let them hurt Ysam.”

  She was surprised
at the force of her determination.

  “Really? And what do you suppose you’ll do?”

  Ignoring his sarcasm, she paced back and forth. “We’ve got to warn them.”

  “How? We’re caged like frligts.”

  Anger blasted through his voice and for moment, his eyes glowed an eerie green, but then the glow disappeared.

  She stepped back. “What are frligts?”

  “On Earth, they would be rats.”

  She shuddered. “But there has to be a way.”

  “I’ve tried and tried but can’t get out.” He slammed his fist onto the wall that echoed sadly in the hole. “The only time these damn walls move is when the Gogs want to eat one of us.”

  She shuddered.

  Stay calm.

  She put her hands on the smooth cold walls and inched along, trying to find where the doors opened. “There must be a lever of some kind that opens the walls.”

  “When I was dragged into this shade hole, I saw a silver handle on the wall. One of the Gogs had pushed it and I heard something move below.”

  “A wall.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Then I heard some scuffling and screeching. Not much to tell after that, because I was shoved down a chute. My brother was tossed into another one.”

  His voice cracked when he mentioned his brother.

  “I’m truly sorry for your loss, Walfea. I lost my sister, too.” She took a deep breath. “She was murdered.”

  The grumblings of the Gogs and heavy footsteps echoed down the hole. Flickering lights dimmed above and the sounds lessened.

  “They’re going to sleep now.”

  “Sleep? Really?”

  “Sure. Why not? We’re all trapped down here with no way to escape. They probably post guards near the cave entrance, but otherwise, they believe they’re safe.”

  “Which could be their undoing.”

  He scoffed, as if she was crazy, just like the prosecutors would do when she defended a client. She’d beaten them then, and she’d beat the Gogs now.

  “I know you don’t want to hear this…” She cleared her throat. “But besides climbing the walls, what else have you tried?”

  He growled, making the back of her hair stand straight up. She edged away, hoping he hadn’t gone rabid.

  “Please. Maybe we can come up with something together.”

  Her small voice was squashed by his heavy breathing reverberating off the walls. She suddenly had a terrifying thought–what if the Gogs threw her down her to feed him? Adrenaline pounded through her, and she hobbled to stand, praying she could survive.

  “I’ve tried climbing back up the chute,” he snarled. “But its too damn high. I even tried grabbing the chain to be lifted back up, but the damn thing broke.”

  A stupid, desperate idea formed. “So, is the chain still down here?”

  “Yes, why?” Curiosity had replaced his anger, but for how long?

  “I have a really dumb idea.”

  “I’m listening,” he said slowly.

  “What if you threw the chain around the chute?”

  “And climb? I’m too heavy to climb up. The chain’s not strong enough. That’s why it broke.”

  She braced her shoulders, then looked up the darkness, trying to make out the chute. Maybe she couldn’t, but she bet dollars to donuts he could. “Not you. Me.”

  “You? You’re right. That is an idiotic idea.”

  She stiffened. “Idiotic is maybe all that we’ve got.”

  His outline form moved in the darkness. Something clanked and clanged across the floor.

  “Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked. “I can drape this over the chute and pull you up, but then you have to climb.”

  “Maybe if the Gogs are asleep, we’ll have half a chance to escape, but if they’re awake, there’s no chance of escape.”

  He sighed heavily. “I know I’m going to regret doing this… Stand back.”

  Something whipped around in the darkness. The chute clanked loudly. She winced. They both sucked in their breath, waiting for the Gogs to investigate.

  Her heart beating fiercely, she closed her eyes and counted to ten silently. Fear twirled around her like a boa constrictor. Drawing on every ounce of determination and bravery she possessed, she slowly opened her eyes, but she couldn’t stop shaking.

  “Are you ready?” Walfea asked softly. His voice cut through the silence like a trumpet.

  She spat on her trembling hands. “Yes.”

  “Grab the chain and I’ll slowly hoist you up.” Doubt shone in his green eyes. “Once you get up there, I can’t help you.”

  “I know.” Her tone was braver than she felt. She put her hands on the thick chain.

  “Hang on,” he said.

  She nodded wordlessly.

  Walfea grunted and the chain slowly inched along. He puffed and huffed loudly. Kathy didn’t weigh that much, and the Arian must have grown weaker because lack of food. How could he eat, knowing he could be feasting on his brother?

  Her feet lifted off the ground, and she clutched the chain tighter. Her thundering heart threatened to explode from terror. God, this had to be the stupidest thing she’d ever done, but there weren’t any other choices. Ysam said he could find her based on her scent, but the Gogs had a hidden cave. What if he couldn’t find her? She refused to be the damsel in distress, waiting to be rescued.

  She might die, but she’d die fighting.

  The hole’s opening grew closer. Walfea groaned with each yank on the chain. He faltered and the chain slipped. Wind rushed over her. She bit her lip to keep from screaming and braced herself to tumble onto the hard ground.

  The chain lurched, cutting into her palms. Pain cut into her flesh. She cried out and caught her breath.

  “Sorry,” Walfea called from below.

  His voice was so weak. His muscles must be straining for relief.

  Movement shuffled above. The chain stopped moving, and she swung haplessly. She put her head on the thick links, trembling, waiting to be discovered.

  Goawaygoawaygoaway.

  Creak, creak, creak.

  The shackle quietly slid upward. She held her breath, afraid the Gogs could hear her. The opening got brighter. Her head banged against the chute, and she yelped, cursing herself for crying out.

  The top of her head throbbed. She huddled on the chain, shaking, and looked up, terrified to see orange eyes peering down at her. Only darkness greeted her.

  You can do this.

  She stretched out a shaking hand and gripped the edge of the hard chute with her slick palm. She had to do this. All of their lives depended on her getting out of here. She had to warn Tash and Ysam that they were walking into a trap. She took deep breaths. One, two, three.

  In one determined, blinding effort, she flung her whole body toward the chute. Her hand slipped and the chute sliced into her, but her other one clamped on tight, stopping her fall. She swung dangerously, her arms straining to hold her weight. She sucked in her core and heaved up one leg that clanged on to the metal.

  A douse of sweat drenched her. She gasped for breath as she hung upside down like a slow-moving sloth. Just one more. Gritting her teeth, she grunted and climbed and clawed her way up on to the chute.

  She laid there panting and gripping the edge of the chute tight. Her heels pressed into the slick sheet. The opening now seemed millions of miles away, but she had to move––one inch at a time.

  Her mucky palms pulled up her shaking body, threatening to slip at any movement. She dug her heels as hard as she could into the sleek chute. With every stir, every shift, every shuffle, her arms and thighs cramped, begging for release. But she had to keep going.

  She breathed heavily and put her head on the metal to rest for just a minute. Anguish beat down on her. But she wouldn’t give up. She had to warn the others. Ysam had saved her life in the asteroid storm, in the jungle, and now, it was her turn to save him.

  Determined to fight her way to the top
, she edged her way up. She thought of Ysam’s golden-tiger eyes, his dominating kiss, his lips on her skin that gave her strength to move, then clawed her way up the chute inch-by-inch, never taking her gaze off the opening. She panted and worried the dreaded Gogs would hear, but she refused to let her fear paralyze her.

  The opening was only inches way. Heavy snores was like music to her ears. Maybe this would work. She reached to pull herself up, but a sudden sound made her freeze except for her shaking arm.

  “Did you hear something?” a gruff voice asked.

  “No, why?” a tired voice answered.

  “Heavy panting. Don’t you hear it?”

  “It’s Tar again. Just shove him to the side. He’ll go back to sleep.”

  “It’s not Tar.”

  “You’re imagining things.”

  More shuffling sent her heart running down to her feet. A long dark shadow covered the opening. She crouched down on the chute, praying the Gog wouldn’t see her.

  “Gluk,” a male voice called. “Come here. I think I see something red and orange out there. It could be the dragon. Nucl said he’d be able to find his mate.”

  Kathy clasped the top of the opening and scrambled to the top. She carefully peeked out. Two bulky Gogs were standing at the entrance, and she couldn’t see past them. The others were slumped over against the wall or stretched out on the floor. Walfea was right. They were overconfident in their prison. Hopefully a mistake they would learn to regret.

  She climbed out of the pit and dove onto the bumpy ground. Her stomach clenched and bile threatened to rise up her throat. Her blood blended in with the fresh and dried crimson. She rushed over to the wall where a slumped-over Gog laid sleeping next to a silver level. Red buttons were lined up next to it. Hoping she was assuming right, she pushed all the buttons that immediately turned to green.

  “See.” One of them pointed. “There, he is.”

  “Good,” Gluk said. “Nucl was right. We’re ready to spring the trap. Wake the others.”

  Tears blurred Kathy’s vision. Damn, Nucl! She was too late.

  “I’ll go get the girl.” He turned around. His orange eye widened in disbelief. “Gluk, she’s escaped.”

  Gluk whirled around. “What?”

  Without hesitation, Kathy gripped the level and pulled. A rumble let loose in the cave.