Planet Breaker: A Supernatural Space Opera (Witching on a Starship Book 2)

by J. A. Cipriano

  “Don’t!” Morg cried, releasing his axe and reaching toward me as I unleashed a volley of magic that not only fed the wraiths but overloaded them. Their bodies exploded into fractal flurries that rained down around us.

  Then my vision went blurry, and I collapsed.

  8

  “Wake the fuck up, you namby-pamby witch,” Morg snarled in my ear right before he shook me.

  My eyes fluttered open to see his face looming over me.

  “Did you get the number of that bus?” I mumbled, trying to ignore how my skull felt like someone had cracked it open and sucked out the juices.

  “You’re an idiot, Mallory Quinn,” Morg said, dropping me to the ground and getting to his feet. He gestured around the room where outlines of the ice wraiths were burned into the walls. “I can’t believe you just fed the wraiths until they were gone.” He got a weird look in his eyes. “Makes me excited for when we mate.”

  “We’re not mating,” I said, sitting up and rubbing my temples with one hand. Thankfully, I could still see the metaphysical ribbons stretching out in the distance, and while they were frayed around the edges, it was nothing to worry about.

  “You keep saying that, but I don’t believe you.” He touched his chest with one hand before offering it to me. “I am an exquisite male. You will be overjoyed at the quality of our offspring.”

  “I’m not into guys,” I said, taking his hand and letting him help me up. It was a good thing too because the ground was a lot more slippery than I remembered, and I wound up stumbling into him. My entire body felt drained in a way I couldn’t explain, and what’s more, my mouth tasted like a cat’s litterbox.

  “I’m not into humans, but I’m not holding that against you,” he snorted. “That’d be speciesist, and I’m equal opportunity.” He smirked at me. “Besides, from what I hear, you’re into the Atlanteans.” He picked me up then, cradling me against his chest, and while I wanted to tell him to stop and put me down so I could be a strong, independent woman, I knew I wouldn’t be able to walk very far. My energy was slowly returning, but if I waited for it, we’d be sitting here forever.

  “That was an accident, and a onetime thing. On my world, shaking hands is a perfectly normal gesture, how was I to know that’s how they had sex? I’d just found out he existed like ten minutes before,” I snapped, causing him to laugh. The deep rumble of his baritone sent waves rippling through my gut like I was sitting atop a bass.

  “That is a conundrum because I’m sure if we mated, you would no longer want it to be a onetime thing,” he said, moving forward down the hallway, and it was surprising how easily he carried me with one arm. I couldn’t even feel his muscles straining with the effort of it, and as I found myself instinctively nuzzling against him so I could steal some of his warmth, I realized what he’d said.

  “Whatever, if I let you tap this, you’d never forget it,” I replied, touching my ass with one finger and making a sizzling sound.

  “That sounds like a challenge,” he said, glancing down at me over his huge tusks. “I look forward to taking you up on it.”

  I sighed because I’d totally walked into that one and instead concentrated on trying to suck magic in from the surrounding air. It was harder than it should have been because we were in the depths of space. If we’d been on a planet, I could have pulled it from the earth itself, but alas, out here, it was harder.

  No, there was just that weird magical energy in the air, and as much as I wanted to try to take some, I didn’t want it inside me. The innate wrongness of it was so loathsome, I’d have sooner done a bit of horizontal dancing with Morg.

  That left me with just one source. Morg, and I couldn’t draw too much from him because I needed him to carry me. No, what I needed was some food.

  “Man, what I wouldn’t do for a Snickers bar,” I mumbled, patting the spot on my thigh where I carried the candies. Unfortunately, I’d used my last one down on the planet.

  “Do you require food, Mallory Quinn?” Morg asked, looking at me curiously. “Of course you do. You expended a tremendous amount of energy. I should have thought of that.” He put his axe into the sling on his back before digging into a pouch on his armor. Then he held out what looked like a bunch of squirming gummi worms. “Here.”

  “What the fuck are those?” I asked, taking one and watching it wriggle in front of me. Its warm flesh was translucent red, and I could see pieces of what looked like glitter within it.

  “Do you not have candy on your planet?” he asked, giving me a weird look. “It’s a jelly worm. They’re my favorite, but if I eat too many, it will rot my tusks.” He tossed a worm in his own mouth and chewed thoughtfully. “I especially like the creamy center.”

  As the sounds of him chewing combined with that image, I felt my stomach revolt. It wanted no part of the worm, but at the same time, I’d always prided myself on being adventurous. I was Mallory fucking Quinn.

  So I put my big girl pants on and tossed the worm in my mouth. It tasted like spearmint bubblegum, and as it wriggled around in my mouth, I bit down. Sticky, cherry-flavored gunk spewed onto my tongue, and if the sensation hadn’t been so revolting, I might have enjoyed it.

  I swallowed and could feel it travel down my throat and into my stomach. As it did, warmth radiated through my body. It was crazy because, by the time I finished licking my lips, I felt like I’d just eaten a five-course dinner.

  “Whoa,” I mumbled as I looked up at Morg to find him smirking at me. “I feel great.”

  “This is where I should make a joke about those being made of my semen.” Then, without another word, he put me down.

  I stared at him for a moment, waiting for him to continue, but he didn’t. As the silence between us stretched out into infinity, I realized I couldn’t even make a big deal about it because if I did, and it was a joke, that’d make me seem crazy. Sigh. Sometimes I hated aliens.

  “So, you ready to go?” I asked, taking a step forward. It was crazy how easy it was to walk now. I flexed just ‘cause, and as I did, I felt magic swirl around me. This was perfect.

  “I’ve been waiting for you,” Morg said, moving closer to me. He had his axe back in his hands. I nodded to him and began edging forward following the ribbons.

  After only a few minutes, we came to a fork in the road. The ribbons trailed off down the left fork though so I wouldn’t have been worried except the left fork was totally dark, and the right one was all lit up.

  “Is that a trap?” I asked, glancing at Morg and gesturing at the halls. “I know back home when you go to fairy, the summer court is all death and horribleness to keep people out… It’s actually not a trick. They really don’t want you there and will totally kill you.”

  “Doesn’t matter if it’s a trap or not,” Morg said, gesturing at the hallways. “We go to the one that has your friends.” He settled his axe against his shoulder. “So which one is that?”

  “The dark one,” I mumbled, calling upon my power to create a globe of light. It glittered in my palm as I held it out in front of me, trying to see better. Only the darkness was too thick for it to help much from where I stood, so I threw it down the corridor.

  As my spell hit the darkness, it evaporated. One second, I was pumping metaphysical power into a ball of light, and the next, I was spewing magic through a torn hose. I shut off the power flow and stared at the darkness while trying to keep my heart from beating its way through my chest.

  “It just ate my spell,” I mumbled, swallowing hard because I got the impression it would suck me dry if given the chance. Call me crazy, but I’d had about enough of that.

  “I saw that,” Morg said, turning to look at me. “Guess that leaves the old standby.” He reached into his pouch and pulled out what looked like a tiny bottle with a silver cap.

  “Which is what, offer it a drink?” I asked right before he tossed the bottle into the corridor. It punched through the darkness before hitting the ground beyond, and while I couldn’t see it happen, I heard the b
ottle shatter right before an explosion of flame rippled out of the hallway.

  “No. Kill it with fire,” Morg said as flames turned the darkness into a squealing, writhing mass of pain and anguish. Tendrils of blackness flailed wildly as flame leapt across the surface of the creature inside like it was a living oil slick.

  “What the fuck is that thing?” I asked, taking a step back as Morg twisted another knob on his axe, causing the head to get wreathed in flame.

  “The closest approximation to my tongue is dark ravager.” He took a step forward and swung his axe at the writhing creature. The head hit with a loud thwack that spilled viscous goo onto the ground that bubbled and smoked, filling the air with a sulfur scent.

  “How did you know what it was?” I asked as he continued to hack away at the creature, driving it backward while sending flaming bits of it in every direction.

  “We have them back home. They like to live in caves and wait for people to walk in. Then they eat you.” He shrugged. “Sort of like spiders.”

  “Space spiders. Ugh.” I shivered as the dark ravager finally went still and died. “How do you think it got here?”

  “Dunno,” Morg said with a shrug as the lights in the hallway came on, revealing the corridor, and what’s more it wasn’t that far from a door. Bingo.

  I moved forward, following him to the door. Like before, this one had one of those magical locks. I reached out, putting my hand against the keypad. The lights turned green, and the door opened with a hiss.

  As it did, I saw the ribbons which had been going through the metal diverge in different directions.

  My mouth fell open in shock.

  “That’s a lot of cages,” I mumbled, gesturing toward the room. It was filled with them, stacked ten high and at least twenty deep. “What were they keeping here?”

  “Most likely this is where they were keeping prisoners Vah wanted to siphon personally. I’ve heard tales of him taking some people and pulling the life-force right out of them,” Morg said, his face pale. “This is not a good place to be. Let’s find your crew and make our escape before something bad comes.”

  “Okay,” I muttered, instantly agreeing. I took a step into the room and moved toward the closest ribbon. The cage was only a few feet away, and as I approached, I saw Chloe sitting inside. She looked okay, and as she spied me walking up, her face squinched up in confusion.

  “I’m here to rescue you,” I said by way of explanation.

  “Aren’t you a little short for a Storm Trooper?” she replied, the shock on her face fading away as she got to her feet.

  “Oh, a Star Wars joke. I love you,” I said, elation leaping through me as I reached out toward the cage. Like the door, it had a magical lock too. “I’ll have you out of there in a jiffy.”

  Then as I called upon my power to do just that, something grabbed me by the back of the head and flung me across the room.

  9

  My body slammed into the hard wall with so much force, I dented the metal cages. As I slumped to the ground, I was pretty sure the only reason I was still alive was because my suit had absorbed a bunch of the force, spreading it out along my entire body to keep me from breaking like a twig.

  “Galaptus not let intruders free prisoners. Galaptus kill intruders,” the twelve-foot, gray-skinned monster rumbled as it turned its beady yellow eyes from me to Morg. Pustules covered its flesh and greenish fluid leaked from its pores, making it look slick and disgusting as it ground its yellowed rat’s teeth together.

  “A troll,” Morg said, revving his axe to life. “Gods, how I hate trolls.” He swung his axe, burying it in the troll’s left bicep, but if it bothered the creature, it didn’t show.

  “Orc taste good in stew,” Galaptus said, his entire body undulating as Morg tore the axe free. Goo sprayed everywhere as Morg whipped the blade around, rending open the troll’s stomach, and spilling the creature’s entrails onto the floor.

  “You’re not eating me, troll!” Morg cried as the troll stared down at his guts in confusion. His eyes turned up to Morg and narrowed in annoyance.

  “You hurt me, orc,” it said in that same dumb voice it had before one of its hands lashed out. Morg ducked the attack and buried his chain-axe into the troll’s face. More gore sprayed outward as the troll wobbled backward. Its massive left foot got caught in its own entrails, and it slipped hitting the ground with a massive thwack that caused the pustules on its back to burst.

  The smell, like rotten eggs filled the air as Morg reared back to strike again. Only as the orc brought the weapon down, the viscous goo from the troll’s pustules caused the creature’s wounds to heal over.

  The orc’s axe sank into the troll’s chest, but this time, the creature’s hand lashed out. He grabbed Morg by the face and smashed him into the floor. Morg’s hands slipped off the axe’s hilt, causing the blade to stop whirring.

  “What are you doing here?” the troll asked, confusion filling his voice. Then the massive creature shrugged. “No matter.” He flung Morg across the room like an unwanted booger.

  The orc slammed into the wall on the far end with a wet thud and slid brokenly to the ground. I watched the troll trudge toward him, knuckles dragging across the ground.

  “Hey, leave him alone,” I cried, crawling to my feet as I raised my hand, summoning my magic. Fire came to life in my hand as I brandished it at the creature. I wasn’t sure why, but even though I’d never met a space troll, I was pretty sure I’d read something about them hating fire.

  “Mallory, don’t get its attention!” Chloe cried as I launched the fireball at the dumbstruck troll. It hit the creature square in the face, and as the flame leapt over his skin, more pustules popped, dousing out the flames.

  The creature cocked its head curiously, the burns already healing over.

  “What are you doing?” it asked, taking a step toward me, big foot denting the metal beneath its feet. “Galaptus no like fire.” He sucked in a sudden breath as realization dawned on him. “You try to burn Galaptus?” His eyes narrowed, and he charged like an enraged hippopotamus.

  It was only thanks to my powers of space and time that I was able to throw myself out of the way before he ran me over like a locomotive. As it was, I felt his fist brush against me as he swept by, and even that momentary contact was enough to spin me around.

  My body twisted in an awkward arc as I crashed to the ground. Fortunately, the troll was too big to stop himself, and he crashed into the far wall. As his head rebounded off the thick steel, and he stumbled backward with little stars practically dancing around his stupid skull, I scrambled to my feet.

  “What kills him?” I shouted, throwing a glance at Chloe as the troll reached up and rubbed his noggin. Doing so caused a few of the pustules to burst, spilling foul smelling green ichor down his face.

  “The only way to kill them is to beat on them until their healing abilities can’t keep up with the damage,” Chloe said, swallowing hard as I caught sight of her. “Just keep hitting it, I guess.”

  “Pfft, that doesn’t sound so bad,” I snarled as the troll narrowed his eyes at me. “Come on, fatso. Let’s dance.” I threw my fists up and jabbed at the air.

  “You mock me?” it asked, anger spilling into its words as it stomped the ground hard enough for me to feel the vibration in my guts. “No one mocks Galaptus.”

  “I do because you suck.” I stuck my tongue at him as I gathered my power once more, causing fire to crackle between my fingers. “You know what they say, if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”

  The troll charged me. He was fast, and with each step, I could feel his hunger and anger wash over me. He wanted me dead. As he reached out toward me with his huge, grimy hands, I stood there, allowing magic to build within me.

  “Got you!” he cried, fingers inching toward my throat as I whipped my left hand out in an arc that sundered space and time. A purple scar ripped out between the two of us as I pushed magic into it. The amulet around my neck glowed like a disc
o ball as the portal opened.

  The troll’s eyes went wide as he tried to stop, but he was too close for that. His momentum carried him forward as I teleported, appearing behind him and putting boot to ass. Literally.

  As my foot struck his butt, he wobbled and toppled forward into the portal. The endless pull of space grabbed hold of him, sucking him out into the void. I watched him go for a second, wishing I had a sun to throw him into, but beggars can’t be choosers.

  “See, ain’t no thang,” I mumbled, waving my hand and banishing the portal. “Let’s see him heal from that.”

  “Good job, Mallory,” Morg slurred. “But that might not kill him. Trolls can live for a while in space.”

  I turned to look at him to see him sitting there rubbing his head. Blood dripped down his face in an emerald mask, and I could tell from here that he was hurt bad.

  “Yeah, well I guess what doesn’t kill him makes him stronger.” I shrugged as I approached Chloe’s cage and opened the lock with a flick of my magically-fueled wrist. The door to Chloe’s cell sprang open, and she stepped out and looked at me.

  “Who cares? It isn’t like he’s gonna get out of space easily.” The werewolf threw her hands around my neck, causing her scent, like wet dog and pine trees to fill my nose. “Thanks for coming, Mallory. I thought I was as good as dead.”

  “Why wouldn’t I come to get you?” I asked, quirking an eyebrow at her as she stepped away. “We’re a team.”

  “I distinctly recall you saying something about team having ‘me’ surrounded by a bunch of useless letters,” Chloe said, nostrils flaring as she looked around. Her head swiveled toward a spot across the room, and she began walking toward it.

  “I’d never say that. Team has all my favorite letters! Me sandwiched in T&A.” I smirked as I followed her toward a cage at the far end.

  Chloe rolled her eyes at me. “Go tend to your orc while I set the others free, okay? I can smell the trauma in him. Maybe you can help with that?”