Jardun's Embrace

by Rayna Tyler

  As much as I wanted to get out of the tight enclosure and find Vurell, I could not stop thinking about the interaction between Garyck and Sloane. It had been a very long time since I had heard my friend speak that many words in a single conversation.

  Without my having to say anything to Laria, she moved and motioned for me to exit next. Once my feet touched the ground, she was already hanging over the edge, so I reached up and helped her the rest of the way down.

  Silently, I moved ahead and headed in the direction that Laria said would lead to the main area of the lab. I heard noises and the mumble of a familiar male voice. With my hand on the hilt of my sword, I inched around the corner, glad to see that the room was free of any more guards. I spotted Vurell hovering near a table covered with various-sized glass containers, some filled with different colored liquids. There were also a variety of cylinder pots containing suclorra plants, which I knew were the source of the toxin.

  His hair was mussed, some of the dark strands having escaped the tie at his nape. He did not appear happy with whatever he was working on. His brow appeared permanently etched into a frown. Next to him stood a young human male dressed in an oversized shirt, the hem stretching to the knees of a faded pair of baggy pants, the long sleeves rolled to expose a portion of his hands. Dirt smudged his face, and he wore an odd-looking piece of fabric that covered the back of his head, concealing his hair and a majority of his forehead. He saw us and froze, shock gleaming in a pair of dark eyes.

  “Um, Vurell.” The male nudged my friend, his gaze locked on Garyck and me.

  Vurell jerked his head in our direction, first with a look of surprise, then disapproval. “Jardun, Garyck, what are you doing here?” His tone suggested he wasn’t happy to see us, but his shoulders sagging with relief said otherwise.

  He was five years my senior, an exemplary physician and a good friend. He was also a valued healer, one who had seen to my injuries on more occasions than I could count. A bruise marred his jaw, the skin beneath his eyes darkened from exhaustion. He’d obviously refused to do as Doyle had instructed and taken a beating for it. His arms were covered in injuries, some older and healing, some more recent. It appeared as if someone had peeled several of the scales from the skin on his arms.

  I clenched my fists. The need to exact revenge on the humans who had done this to him replaced the relief I felt at finding him alive. “We came to take you home.”

  “You should not have come. We won’t make it out of the vessel.” Vurell’s frantic gaze shot to a flat, rectangular black panel on the wall in a corner near the ceiling. “When the humans got the power to work, they also activated the ship’s cameras. They have been monitoring my movements closely and will send guards once they realize you are here.”

  “Crap.” Sloane shared a knowing look with Laria. “I forgot about the cameras.”

  No sooner had she made the statement than the door leading into the outside corridor retracted. Two males, presumably the ones Sloane had seen, walked into the room, each aiming a laser pistol in our direction.

  “Well, look what we’ve got here. The doc has some new friends,” Rick, the human male we had seen at the outpost, said with a sneer. “I was a little surprised that Burke didn’t recognize me. I knew there was no way he’d be involved with one of the drezdarr’s inspections. I guess Doyle was right when he said you’d be coming for the doctor.”

  “You know if Doyle decides to let us pass the women around, I call dibs on the pretty blonde.” The male standing next to Rick licked his lower lip. He had been staring at the Laria and Sloane from the moment he entered the room.

  I snarled, pushing Laria behind me at the same time Garyck took a protective step in front of Sloane. The male would die slowly if he touched her. I knew many ways to inflict pain with a blade that would not result in an instant death.

  “Don’t,” Laria whispered, then squeezed my arm, urging me to ease my hand away from the hilt of my sword.

  “You might want to listen to her,” the other male said. “One shot from my weapon and you’ll be dead before you reach the ground.”

  “Carl, go tell Doyle we found the rest of his uninvited visitors,” Rick ordered, then grabbed the young male who had been working with Vurell and shoved him toward the doorway.

  Carl paused in the corridor, casting a worried glance at Laria and Sloane.

  “I said go.” When Rick took a threatening step toward Carl, he didn’t hesitate to disappear from view.

  Rick returned his attention to us. “Take off your swords and put them on the counter, then take a seat against that wall over there.” He motioned toward an empty space on the floor.

  “What about the women?” Rick’s friend asked.

  “Until we know what Doyle wants to do with them, they can take a seat with the ketaurrans.”

  LARIA

  I would’ve preferred a chair rather than having to sit on the cold metal floor with my back braced against the wall. The rest of the group didn’t look particularly comfortable either. Garyck was sitting on Jardun’s left with his elbows balanced on his knees, his angry glare never leaving Rick or the other male. I’d taken the spot on Jardun’s right, with Sloane sitting next to me.

  Jardun maintained his composure well, the twitch of his tail the only sign of his frustration.

  “Stop worrying about your friends, Doc. You should be more concerned about what Doyle’s going to do to you if you don’t get back to work.” Rick spoke from the other side of the room. He’d spent the last ten minutes or so with his back pressed against the frame of the open doorway, his attention periodically shifting from us to the outside corridor.

  The other guard, whose name we learned was Neil, perched on the corner of a nearby worktable. Apparently bored, he passed the time by randomly picking up one of several vials filled with colorful liquids from a plastic rack sitting next to his hip. After holding the thin clear tube in the air and studying its contents, he’d return it to the stand and select another.

  “We need to find a way to dispose of these human males,” Garyck muttered.

  “As long as they possess the laser weapons, there is little we can do.” I was not willing to let anyone I cared about be injured or killed. All I could do was bide my time until an opportunity presented itself.

  “Maybe you can’t, but I can.” Sloane pushed to her feet.

  “Sloane, don’t do it.” I wasn’t quick enough to grab my friend’s arm and yank her back to the floor before she took several slow steps in Rick’s direction. I knew exactly what she was planning to do. She’d done it before. During those instances, our opponents were armed with blades, something we were trained to battle. Not lethal laser weapons that could end a life with a simple blast.

  Garyck growled and would have wrestled her back to the ground if Jardun hadn’t grabbed his arm to stop him. I was glad Jardun had figured out what Sloane was planning to do without me having to say anything.

  “Hey there, handsome.” Sloane took a few more steps, adding an additional sway to her hips.

  “You need to go sit back down.” Rick pushed away from the frame and moved farther into the room.

  “Nah, Rick, let her stay.” Neil slid off the table, his interest piqued.

  “Thanks. It’s just that sitting on the floor is putting my ass to sleep.” Sloane rubbed her right butt cheek for emphasis. “And I was getting bored.”

  “I’m sure we can find something to do to pass the time. Maybe you’d like me to give you a personal tour of the store room in the back.” Neil lowered his weapon.

  We didn’t get a chance to find out if Sloane’s plan to lure Neil away from Rick would work. The sound of loud coughing echoed through the room and drew everyone’s attention to Carl, who was standing in the doorway.

  Rick startled, then pivoted, his gun aimed at Carl’s chest. “Damn it, kid. Don’t you know any better than to sneak up on someone? I could’ve shot you.” He aimed the weapon at the floor, then glanced at the empty corridor beh
ind Carl. “What are you doing back here anyway? I told you to go find Doyle.”

  “Did.” Carl shrugged, then sauntered between Sloane and Neil. He moved toward the table filled with vials and glass containers, absently running his finger along the edge of the cluttered surface.

  “Well, what did he say? Is he on his way here?” Rick asked.

  Carl made a noncommittal noise and shrugged again.

  “Rick asked you a question.” Neil lowered his pistol and fisted the sleeve of Carl’s shirt.

  In a graceful and swift move, Carl smacked his hand away, then grabbed one of the containers filled with a dark green liquid and smashed it over his head. Glass shattered, the liquid coating his hair and face. Whatever was in the container must have stung because Neil yelped and dropped his weapon, then frantically tried to wipe his face and eyes. Unable to see where he was going, he staggered backward and bounced off the table.

  Some of the liquid had dripped on the floor, and when he caught it with his heel, he slipped and landed on his ass. Before Neil could get back up, Carl kicked him in the chest, the blow sending him the rest of the way to the floor.

  Sloane used the distraction to yank the laser pistol from Rick’s hand. No sooner had she leveled the weapon at his chest than the rest of us were at her side, ready to assist.

  “Thanks.” Carl winked, then stepped over Neil’s unconscious body and picked up his dropped weapon. After lifting her shirt, she tucked the gun in the back of her pants.

  I couldn’t figure out why Carl’s voice sounded so familiar or why Sloane was staring at him as if he were a newly discovered life form.

  Vurell joined us, his wide-eyed glance jerking from Neil to the young male. “Carl, why...how?”

  “Vurell, I...”

  “I knew it,” Sloane interrupted, her lips widening into a beaming grin. “There’s only one person I know who uses those sneaky moves.” She threw herself at Carl, the force of the hug nearly knocking them both over.

  I thought my friend had lost her mind until Carl giggled and returned the embrace. “Good to see you too.”

  “Little one, please explain.” Garyck still looked like he wanted to throttle Sloane for her earlier actions. I couldn’t blame him, I’d thought about choking her myself for trying something so reckless. “Do you know this male?”

  “Not a male.” Sloane snatched the knit hat from Carl’s head, revealing a mop of short, dark chestnut curls.

  “No way. Cara...how?” I mumbled, too shocked to form a complete sentence. I pulled her into a quick hug, a lot of questions rolling through my mind. Why she was wearing a dirty and smelly disguise was at the top of the list.

  “You’ve been gone for months. I was afraid something had happened to you.” I swallowed against the constriction in my throat. “That we’d never see you again.”

  “I know, and I’m sorry.” Cara snatched the hat back and returned it to her head, tucking the loose curls inside. “When Burke heard there was a possibility that some laser weapons had been found, he asked for volunteers to infiltrate Doyle’s compound. I wanted to tell you, but I couldn’t. The fewer people who knew, the better my odds of getting the information we needed.”

  “Is that why you’re dressed like a guy?” Sloane asked.

  “These creeps will nail anything with breasts.” Cara rolled her eyes in disgust at Rick, then kicked Neil’s leg. “Pretending to be a guy was the only way I could keep from being forced to be someone’s bunk partner. Most of the men ignored me, so it was easy to move around the ship without anyone getting suspicious.”

  She held up a hand. “I know you have more questions, but they’re going to have to wait. Doyle has Burke and Celeste.” She glanced at Jardun and Garyck. “And I’m assuming the ketaurran with them is one of your friends.”

  Jardun nodded. “Yes...Zaedon.”

  “Sorry, Cara. This is Jardun and Garyck.” I pointed at each of them.

  “Nice to meet you, but we need to go.” The playfulness left Cara’s voice. “I jammed the signal on the cameras, and it won’t be long before someone comes to investigate.”

  “We cannot leave without the antidote,” Vurell stated gruffly, then reached beneath one of the rectangular tables to retrieve a small insulated bag with a long strap.

  “Fine, gather whatever samples you need while I lock Neil and Rick in the storage room,” Cara said.

  Hearing there was a cure and knowing we had a chance to save the drezdarr’s life filled me with hope. Now the only problem we faced was getting the miraculous drug back to the city. I shared a concerned glance with Jardun before he followed Vurell across the room to help him select vials from one of the worktables.

  Rick pursed his lips and glared at Cara. “Carl, or whoever you are, there’s no way you’ll make it out of here alive.”

  “We’ll see. Now move.” Cara shoved him toward the closed door in the corner of the room.

  “Would you mind sharing those beefy muscles of yours and giving her a hand?” Sloane patted Garyck’s arm and tipped her head at Neil’s unmoving form.

  “Pleasure.” Garyck grabbed Neil by the ankle and dragged him effortlessly behind Cara. I couldn’t tell if Neil banging his head on a table leg along the way was an accident or part of Garyck’s plan. The ketaurran didn’t seem bothered by it either way.

  While Cara secured the lock, Sloane and I grabbed our swords, then checked the corridor outside the main entryway. So far, the passageway was empty.

  “You guys ready to go?” Cara said once everyone had joined us. “Good, then follow me and stay close.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  LARIA

  Whoever was responsible for getting the power to work on the lab level also got one of the lifts working. After leading us to the end of the passageway, Cara shuffled us inside the convenient conveyor, which was a lot faster and easier to use than the engineering tunnels.

  After finding the passageway on the new level empty, Cara motioned to her left. “Doyle took everyone to his office. It’s down this corridor to the left. He only had one guard outside the room when I was scouting the area before. He’s armed with a laser pistol, so we’ll need to distract him.”

  “How do you propose we do that?” I asked.

  Sloane grinned. “We could just shoot him.”

  “And I would agree with you if I wasn’t worried that Doyle might still be inside the room with our friends.” Cara held up a finger. “Wait here. I’ll go around to the other side of the corridor.” She winked and took another passageway. Unlike the layout on the lab level, this area was designed as quarters. Many of the corridors intersected, forming large squares in the layout. I always wondered if the architectural engineers who’d come up with the plan had purposely designed it that way to make getting around it easier or if it had been by accident.

  A minute later, I heard Cara’s voice, and peeked around the corner. The guard’s weapon was still holstered to his waist, but his jaw was practically hanging on the floor. Cara had taken off her hat and tied the ends of her shirt into a knot around her waist, exposing a portion of her midsection.

  “Carl, what the... You’re a girl, but how?” Confused yet wary, he took an uneasy step toward Cara.

  She sauntered closer to the male. “Correction, I’m a woman.”

  “I can see that.” The suspicion in his tone was replaced with lustful appreciation. When he started moving closer, Cara spun, leveling her leg with a kick that landed in the center of his chest. He expelled a groan as he staggered backward and slammed into the wall. The back of his head bounced off the metal hard enough to daze him, and he dropped to the floor.

  Before he could recover, Cara pounced, then rolled him onto his stomach with her knee pressed firmly against his spine. She removed his pistol and tapped his shoulder with it. “Where’s Doyle? Is he still inside with the prisoners?”

  “You can go fu...”

  Cara cut off his words by grabbing a handful of hair and jamming the weapon into his neck. �
��Last chance.”

  The rest of our group had joined Cara and were waiting for the male to answer.

  His hesitation was brief. “Said he was headed for the lab.”

  It was a good thing Cara hadn’t chosen a direct route to reach this level of the ship. Otherwise, we would have run into Doyle. If the lab really was his destination, it wouldn’t take long for him to figure out we were gone and where we’d headed. It also meant we didn’t have much time to get our friends and get out of here. “Are there any other guards inside?” I asked as I drew my sword.

  When the male took too long to answer, Cara tightened the grip on his hair. “No, only me.”

  Sloane already had the weapon she’d confiscated in the lab drawn and was reaching for the manual control on the door. After a quick glance inside, she gave Cara an acknowledging nod. “Celeste, are you...” Her voice faded as she disappeared into the room.

  “Allow me,” Garyck walked up to Cara. As soon as she released the guard, Garyck grabbed him by the back of the shirt, yanked him to his feet, then shoved him toward Doyle’s office.

  “Your friend is quite impressive. Does she match your skills with a sword?” Jardun hadn’t been far from my side since we’d left the lab.

  “Her friend prefers to use her fists and her feet,” Cara said as she sauntered past them and headed inside the room.

  By the size and interior design, this was one of the larger rooms on this level and, if I remembered right, was used as a meeting room by the ship’s old commander and the council. The conference-sized table and the adjoining chairs were still bolted to the floor. The shelves running along one wall were filled with valuables, an assortment of items that had made the trip from Earth. Items I was sure hadn’t originally belonged to Doyle.

  “See if you can find something to tie him up.” Cara directed her instruction to Garyck. “We don’t need him sending out an alert before we get off the ship.”

  After glancing around the room, Garyck pulled back his fist and swung, the punch catching the male’s jaw and knocking him out.