by Hope Hart
My mouth drops open. The expression on his face is…longing. This man cares deeply for that woman. He wants her.
Horned Man’s face clears. “You may ask me one question,” he says.
Rakiz opens his mouth, and I elbow my way past him, ignoring his low growl.
I stare into Horned Man’s eyes. “What do you know about any female women who look similar to me and the places they have been seen on this planet?”
Horned Man smiles at me and nods, satisfaction in his eyes. “There was a female here. She spoke with my friend briefly but didn’t linger. She was obviously running from someone. I asked around, and a few others had noticed her appearance as she’d traveled through the prexas. She made it through alive,” he says, and I blow out a relieved breath. Something about the way he nods at me tells me that he helped ensure Ivy was as safe as possible.
I open my mouth, but he holds up one hand and continues.
“She entered a prexa in the east, close to Malufic,” he says, nodding as Rakiz shifts beside me. “I see you know it. There is just one prexa entrance in this area, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to retrace her steps at least to the entrance. After that, you’re on your own.”
Determination hits me, and I turn to see Rakiz exchanging a look with Hewex.
“What?” I ask.
“I know how to get back to Malufic,” Hewex says. “The problem is that we don’t have much time before the sun sets. But if we wait until tomorrow, we’ll lose even more time.”
I glance at Rakiz. “What do you think?”
His face is hard, and I have a feeling I’m not going to like what he says as he opens his mouth. I hold up a hand, panic sliding into me.
“Wait. Just tell me this. How would you do it, if it could be done today?”
Rakiz sighs. “Go straight to Malufic. Ask around, bribe whoever we need to. Locate the other females, since it sounds like Ivy is no longer anywhere near here. Find a safe place to sleep, and then travel back through the prexas in the morning.”
“Will the mishua be okay?”
He gives me a look, and I almost laugh. Right. War horses. Or war mishua. Whatever.
“The mishua will be fine. Our safety is questionable,” he says, but I can see the light of battle in his eyes. Rakiz craves the challenge. We’re surprisingly well matched this way.
“Can we live through it?”
Hewex glances at Rakiz and then meets my eyes. “I have contacts in the area that may provide help. The question you should be asking is whether it is wise for our tribe king to put his safety at risk.”
Rakiz stiffens in offense, and I almost roll my eyes. Good going, Hewex. Perhaps he really wants to go, and this is his backhanded way of making it happen. Either way, implying that Rakiz can’t handle himself is a bad move.
“Excuse me for breaking up this scintillating conversation,” Horned Man says, and I turn and blink at him. Truthfully I forgot he was there. “But by now, that Voildi will have spread the word that there are three Braxians traveling alone in this area. You would be smart to make a decision and leave.”
Rakiz looks at me, and I try to keep myself from pleading with my expression. If he truly believes we’re all going to end up dead today, I’ll accept it and we can come back tomorrow. We’re no use to the other women if we’re murdered before we can get to them.
“Is Inexa still in Malufic, Hewex?” he asks, his gaze steady on my face.
Tagiz clears his throat, shifting on his feet. I glance at him, and he looks away as he nods. Whoever this Inexa person is, they’ve got Tagiz nervous.
A muscle twitches in Rakiz’s cheek. “Let’s go. Now.”
Chapter Eleven
Nevada
The guys are tense as we travel through the prexas, and no one speaks. Tagiz seems to know his way around this place the best, and he takes the lead once we’ve left the trading post behind.
The confined space and darkness are getting to me. At one point, I hear a voice murmuring, and my mind turns it into Arabic. Just like that I’m in Baghdad, wondering if I’ll ever see the sky, ever breathe fresh air, ever feel the sun on my skin again.
Rakiz seems to feel my tension, and he leans closer at one point, brushing a kiss over my temple. I manage to keep my heart from melting, but it’s a close call.
Tagiz sniffs at one point. “Voildi,” he growls.
We don’t have the time for another fight, and Tagiz’s huge body is trembling with tension as he gestures to a prexa that will take us slightly off our planned route.
Finally we’re close to the exit. I think I’ve gone slightly nose blind, but the first whiff of fresh air is a welcome relief, and my shoulders relax as the prexa slowly lightens and we arrive at another ladder.
Tagiz pauses while halfway up, his head sticking out slightly as he scans our surroundings. He nods, and Rakiz climbs up behind him, gesturing for me to follow him. I’m not surprised when Rakiz’s strong arms grab me and pull me up once I’m on the ladder.
We’re in another forest, but I can see small buildings through the trees.
Buildings.
I frown. I assumed that everyone here lived in kradis or similar tents.
I voice my thought, and a grin transforms Hewex’s face.
“Our tribe is nomadic,” he says, “but that does not mean that everyone on this planet lives the same way. Even Dexar’s tribe returns to their kingdom during the cold season.”
Wow.
The buildings are tiny and squat, practically falling apart. I’ve seen slums that looked more welcoming, and with the warriors so tense from the constant danger, it’s easy to see why this area is mostly avoided.
We don’t hang around, and I bask in the fresh air, enjoying the weak late-afternoon sun on my face while we follow Tagiz. Rakiz seems to get tenser as we get closer to the buildings, and I study his face when he glances at me.
He opens his mouth as if to say something and then snaps it shut, scowling into the distance. Whatever is going on with him will have to wait because Tagiz is walking at a brisk pace. We stay under the cover of the trees even as we move closer to the buildings, traveling behind them until Tagiz seems to find one he recognizes.
“Seriously,” I mutter to Rakiz. “What’s up?”
He simply shakes his head, and Tagiz glances at us.
“Wait here,” he says and then darts forward to what looks like a tiny house. He knocks on the door, and I can’t see who opens it, but they have a brief conversation before the stranger opens the door further, stepping into view.
I inhale sharply. The woman is Braxian, and one look at Rakiz’s face tells me that he knows her well.
She glances at the trees where we’re waiting and then nods once at Tagiz, her face hard. He leads her back to us, and only an idiot wouldn’t see the red flags as she looks at Rakiz.
These two have history.
“Inexa,” Rakiz says, and she nods, not taking her eyes off his face. It’s as if she’s dying of thirst and he’s holding out a waterskin.
“It has been a long time,” she says softly.
It’s obvious that this woman has had a hard life. She’s beautiful, with dark hair that, while no longer shiny, is thick and long. She’s thinner than any Braxian woman I’ve ever seen, but if she’s living alone here, that could be due to malnutrition.
Her dark-brown eyes are luminous, and while the line between her brows speaks of pain, I’m guessing she would be gorgeous if she smiled.
Who is she to Rakiz?
“It has,” Rakiz says, and I force myself to focus on the present.
She smiles at him, and I was right. Her smile transforms her. Then she turns to me, her gaze scanning me curiously.
“We need your help,” Tagiz says quietly, and Inexa glances at him before returning her attention to Rakiz.
I know that look. And Rakiz’s tension suddenly makes a lot more sense. These two have been lovers. I don’t know why she’s not part of the tribe, but from the look in her
eyes, Inexa still considers Rakiz to be hers.
Thanks for the heads-up, Rakiz.
“You know I will help you any way I can,” Inexa says, her voice low, and Rakiz nods, a muscle pulsing in his jaw as he looks at me.
Oh yes, we’ll be talking about this little situation, my warrior and I.
Hewex steps forward and explains what we need.
Inexa nods. “Yes, I heard of these women. One of them escaped, and a pack of Voildi went door-to-door, searching our homes.” Inexa glances at me as if I’m the one to blame for this, and I barely refrain from rolling my eyes.
I open my mouth to question her but snap it shut when Tagiz glances at me. Yep, I should definitely leave the asking to Rakiz.
Rakiz smiles at Inexa, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “I’m sorry to hear of your troubles,” he says. “What can you tell us of where we can find these women?”
Inexa’s eyes widen. “There are rumors that they’re being kept close by until they’re sold. A new pack of Voildi moved into the area a few months ago, and they have taken over several of the houses on the eastern side of the village. They ran the owners out of their homes.”
The more I learn about these Voildi, the more certain I am that they need to die. Unfortunately, we don’t have enough of us to take on a giant pack of Voildi and rescue the other women at the same time. This mission is going to have to rely on stealth.
“Can you give us directions to this place?” Rakiz asks, and Inexa nods.
“It’s too dangerous around here after dark,” she says. “What is your plan?”
Rakiz and Tagiz share a look, and I have a feeling that they’re silently communicating about whether they can trust Inexa.
“We will find a place close by and then will return through the prexas tomorrow.”
Inexa immediately shakes her head. “If you manage to steal the females, the Voildi will tear the forest apart looking for them. They will expect you to stay close to the prexa, and there are more of them than you can imagine.”
Rakiz grinds his teeth.
“What do you suggest?” I ask, no longer willing to be silent.
Inexa glances at me. “You can stay with me,” she says. “My home is humble, but after the first female escaped, the Voildi will not imagine that any of us would dare hide anyone from them.”
Her eyes are suddenly haunted, and I stroke my sword as I imagine just how the Voildi managed to instill that sense of fear.
They’re monsters who prey on the weak. And those who prey on the weak should be taught a lesson they won’t forget.
I’m almost shaking as I imagine burning their lair to the ground and making them pay. Hewex nudges me, and I blink, forcing myself to focus again.
“We’re ready to go,” Hewex says, and I nod. Inexa returns to her home, and we skulk through the forest until we’re close to the Voildi’s base. From the looks on the warriors’ faces, the smell is enough to confirm that the Voildi are close and we’re in the right place.
We hunker down and watch. The Voildi have taken a few houses and probably knocked down walls to turn them into a larger lair. Voildi come and go, with no signs of the human women. At one point, a large furry male appears, striding into the lair. He’s shorter than the warriors but twice as wide, and his claws are so long that I gulp.
The Voildi allow him to pass, and his roar sounds a few minutes later.
“Where is the flame-haired one? I told you I wanted her.”
Whatever the Voildi say obviously doesn’t please the creature because he roars again, striding out of the lair. Any Voildi dumb enough to get in his way soon regrets it, and he picks one of them up, throwing him toward the forest. The Voildi hits a tree, his neck breaking with a snap.
The next Voildi is gutted with the male’s claws, and the Voildi after that is obviously an idiot because he dares to pull a weapon.
He’s dispatched in the blink of an eye, and then the furred male strides back through the village.
Well, shit.
Voildi rush from the lair, staring at their fallen pack members. One of them is obviously the leader because the others quickly move out of his way when he stalks out, taking in the bodies.
He’s wearing an eye patch, and his face turns a darker yellow as it contorts in rage. “Why hasn’t that flame-haired whore been found yet?” he screams, and the Voildi all remain silent.
This seems to enrage him further.
“What are you doing here? Why aren’t you out looking for the bitch? She took my fucking eye!”
My grin is so wide that my cheeks begin to hurt, and Hewex sends me a look.
“Human females,” he murmurs. “As vicious as they are lovely.”
One of the Voildi steps forward. “We-We are hunting her, milord.”
The leader hauls back and kicks the body at his feet, and I almost gag as entrails sprawl onto the ground.
“Enough,” he says. “I grow tired of having so much of the pack lying around here. There is no need for so many to be guarding one female. I want six males to join the hunt today.”
“But milord—”
“Don’t. Push. Me.”
The leader turns and walks inside, leaving the other Voildi to collect the bodies.
I turn to Rakiz, and he gestures for us to fall back further into the cover of the trees.
“Did you hear that?” I whisper. “There’s only one female left here.”
Rakiz nods. “We will wait until the hunting party has left. Even six fewer Voildi will make our task easier.”
I blow out a breath, forcing myself to push away my anxiety about the two other women for now. “We need a distraction. Something to make the Voildi all rush to the front of the lair again.”
Hewex grins at me while Rakiz scowls.
“Don’t say it.”
“I’m the obvious choice,” I continue, ignoring him. “I can borrow a dress from Inexa and pretend to be a helpless female come to find her missing friend. You guys sneak in the back and find whoever’s left, and then we haul ass out of here.”
Okay, so there are a few holes in that plan.
Rakiz’s brow lowers even further, and he opens his mouth even as Tagiz shakes his head.
“How would you get away from all those Voildi?”
I examine the lair. The more I look at it, the more I can see the signs that they’ve knocked down walls. But something tells me that they didn’t consult the Agron version of an architect before they did it.
“That lair doesn’t look all that stable. Looks like it wouldn’t take much for the whole thing to come crashing down.”
Rakiz eyes me, but he turns, and we all look at the buildings.
“If only we had some explosives,” I murmur, and Hewex tilts his head.
“Explosives.” He repeats the word in English, and I realize there’s no translation.
“Yeah.” I explain what they do, and Tagiz leans against a tree, meeting Hewex’s eyes.
“We may be able to find something that would work,” he says.
“What? Really?”
Rakiz is still obviously in a pissy mood, but he reaches out an arm and pulls me close. “I like the way you are thinking except for the part where you use yourself as bait. That will never happen while I still have breath in my body.”
I roll my eyes. “I’m the obvious choice.”
He ignores me, but he knows I’m right.
Chapter Twelve
Rakiz
To say that I’m unhappy with this plan is an understatement.
The thought of putting Nevada in danger…it makes me want to throw her over my shoulder and haul her back to my camp.
I glance at Tagiz and Hewex. We’ve moved deeper into the forest while they search for the Trelga tree pods. They’re difficult to find, but they appear in bunches, so if we can locate one bunch, we will have more than enough for our needs.
“I still don’t get what we’re doing,” Nevada says.
“You will see.”
Nevada is choosing to leave this conversation for later; however, I’m not fooled into thinking she will forget about it.
She’s currently pacing back and forth while Tagiz and Hewex examine a large tree. Unlike those in the Seinex Forest, the trees here are made of a deep-blue bark with large green leaves.
Tagiz jumps and hauls himself onto a branch before climbing until he gets near the top of the tree.
“Jeez,” Nevada says. “He climbs like a monkey.”
I don’t enjoy her appreciating any other males, and I reach out, pulling her close. I press a kiss beneath her jaw, and she smiles at me, although it doesn’t reach her eyes.
Tagiz is back on the ground within moments, a branch covered in pods clutched in his hand.
Hewex lets out a low whoop, his eyes dancing, and Nevada laughs.
“How do they work?”
“We need fire,” Tagiz says. “Once these pods are set aflame, they will cause the damage you described.”
“An explosion,” Nevada says, and her voice is excited. “Excellent.”
We take the pods back to Inexa’s small home, and I can tell by the way she avoids my eyes that she is shamed to have us here. And yet she has opened her door to us to keep us safe. I will not forget it, and I vow to attempt once more to convince her to return to camp with us.
I explain our plan to Inexa, and her eyes widen as she glances at Nevada.
“It is very dangerous,” she says, and Nevada shrugs.
“As I’ve already explained to Rakiz, they’re not going to kill me. They need more human females to sell, especially since they’re currently down two. I’ll only be with them for a moment while I distract them, and then they’ll be too busy trying not to die to bother with me.”