by Ciara Knight
Did Fallon read my mind? I watched him make his way from the crowd to behind the bar, but he gave no indication he had read my thoughts.
“Done waiting around. What’s the plan?” A short glass slid across the bar. Ryder halted it with his open palm, sloshing the pale green contents onto the aged, scarred wood.
Fallon grabbed a towel from the bar, wiped down a glass and poured some drinks.
“Need to get her out of here. What’s the plan?” Ryder whispered.
Fallon put the drinks on a round brown tray and handed it to a barmaid. “Turns out the Queen’s angry with her daughter for refusing to use the tamer against your sister for the ceremony today.”
Raeth sat straight up with a bright smile. “T-told you. She s-saved me.”
I tugged at my constricting slave collar. Trapped, choking on my actions and inactions. Both would haunt me for the rest of what remained of my life.
“Follow me.” Fallon maneuvered around the bar into a back room and shoved open a door to a dark stairwell. “Take the underground.” Fallon stopped and faced Raeth and Ryder. “Go to the hotel and stay hidden for now. The queen is going to do another sweep, but not until morning. Once that happens, you’ll be leaving.”
I fidgeted with the edge of her vest, waiting for them to cast her out into the street. “We’re leaving?”
Ryder huffed. “Can’t stay here. You’ve sealed our fate. We’ll be dead within days once they discover I had something to do with your escape. Bendar is probably already being tortured for intel.”
A lump rose in my throat. “No! It’s not true.”
“For a princess you’re a mite dense. What did you think would happen? Queen’s going to give us free food and ale for rescuing her only daughter from being turned into a Slag?”
Raeth shuffled between us. “Harsh. S-Semara, don’t listen to h-him. Not your f-fault.”
Fallon stepped back and I glanced at Raeth. “I’m afraid this time he’s right. You’ll need to go.”
Raeth stumbled forward, a little awkward on the wood planks. “Wh-what about you? Won’t they know you helped us?”
Fallon tousled Raeth’s long brown hair. “You don’t need to worry about me.” He tapped his head. “I can always send them on a hunt in the wrong direction.”
Ryder leaned against the wall folding his arms over his chest. “You know the queen won’t think twice about blowing up this town. Your gift won’t be able to stop that.”
A wave of icy fear shot through my body. This entire town could be destroyed because of me?
Chapter Four
Greta stormed into the back room. “Fallon! They’re sweepin’ the area. Mandatory search of every building.”
Fallon turned on his heels. “Go, I’ll handle this.”
“Neuki budala.” Ryder stomped down the stairs.
Each step cracked under my heavy boots as we descended to the sandy bottom. The men tromping above our heads, only one level up, sent dirt raining around us in a white cloud.
“I told you, I didn’t even know of this passageway. No one’s down there,” Greta’s voice hollered from above.
“Th-there’s no more t-time,” Raeth squealed. “If they f-find us here, they’ll k-kill Uncle.”
Ryder headed down a confining tunnel. “Need to find a place to hide. Uncle can handle himself.”
We turned down a narrow hall, only lit by small luminaries every several meters. Dust and sand kicked up from Raeth as she galloped like a lame horse in front of me. My heart ached at the sight.
We rounded another corner and before I could slow, I ran into the back of Raeth.
“There they are!” Straight ahead, only fourteen or fifteen meters down the hall stood a dozen guards, thankfully out of range for their tamers to work.
Ryder yanked Raeth down another passage, and I quickly followed. Thunderous footsteps and gunfire exploded around us.
Orange shots whizzed by our heads, and white clouds of dirt burst from the walls. Dust coated my tongue and I struggled to breathe. We made another turn and halted at a dead end.
I spun around to face the closing guards. Twelve meters, eleven, ten…
A guard pulled a tamer from his vest pocket and pointed it at Raeth.
The walls shook, cracking the ceiling halfway between us and the guards. Ryder clutched Raeth’s shoulders to pull her behind him but she didn’t budge.
Her golden eyes pulsed and hands clenched at her side.
“Raeth?” I touched her arm, but she didn’t respond.
Ryder’s eyes shot wide as he turned and shielded us with his body.
Fissures formed over our heads like the webs spun from Spiderats I’d seen in pictures.
Is this Raeth’s power?
Massive chunks of rubble crumbled. The guards rushed forward. Jagged rocks plummeted to the floor forcing everyone back.
“Move!” I yelped.
I yanked Ryder back against the wall. Raeth emitted an earsplitting high frequency sound and pressed her hands against the wall behind us. The solid surface exploded into a million pieces revealing another room.
Ryder leapt into the room, landing in a fighting stance.
Ice dusted then thickened on his skin. He lifted his arms, his hands already silver, but no guards waited.
Dirt faded to the ground. I squinted and wiped particles from my eyes.
A cold chill ravaged my bones.
“Ryder,” Raeth murmured as she fell to her knees.
I collapsed beside her, my lungs pinched tight.
My face hardened and Raeth’s turned ashen. Life tugged from my body as if a needle punctured my core and was draining my soul.
The sounds of labored breaths broke through the pounding in my ears. I could hear something move in the distance, clawing at the rubble.
Dust sizzled against the luminaries, causing the light to flicker. I caught a glimpse of Ryder before my head sagged against the dirt. He stood, eyes shut as if meditating, but silver lines covered his hands. “Get control,” he mumbled.
Epileptic coughing fits ravaged Raeth and I. I clutched my throat, my hands almost translucent.
Ryder knelt beside Raeth, his hands pressed to her shoulders. After a moment, she waved him to me. “H-help her.”
He rested his hand on mine offering comfort. “I didn’t mean to lose control. I just wanted to stop them.” His thumb brushed my knuckles. “Semara, take deep breaths and imagine something calming.”
He scooted close and tucked the fallen curls behind my ear. Leaning my head into his chest, he held me. He stroked my arms from shoulder to elbow and slowly they turned a fleshy-white. I let out a soft cry.
“I’m sorry.” He swallowed loud.
Raeth scooted closer. “It’s fine. W-we’re fine. D-don’t blame—”
“Of course, I blame myself. I’m poison and shouldn’t be around anyone.” Ryder gently propped me up against the wall. A chill radiated down the back of my neck. He shoved away from me, ran his hands through his hair, and paced the small area.
I managed to sit up on my knees. “What’re you talking about?”
“My b-brother—”
“No. Don’t tell her anything. She’s not to be trusted.”
Warmth rose from my chest and heated my neck. The familiar tingling began. My gift churned inside like a dust storm. I glanced at the illuminator in time to see the metal casing droop like that old lady’s arm skin from the saloon.
I steadied my breath and calmed my anger. “Why don’t you trust me? I’m a fugitive like you and Raeth.” How many more things could go so wrong in one day?
“Still a slag. Don’t matter the circumstance. You’d turn us over the minute you had the chance,” Ryder accused.
“N-no,” Raeth protested.
Ryder kicked a loose pebble. “Talk about traitors later. Have plenty of time once they get through the cave-in.”
I ignored him. “We need to get out of here. Raeth, you think you can blow out another wall?”
“I th-think so, shouldn’t be a p-problem. There is p-plenty of earth to p-pull energy f-from.”
Ryder turned on us. “You’d best tell me how you got your gift back.”
“I’ve been p-practicing. Never b-been successful until n-now, though.”
“Where will we go? You forget so easily. We’re collared dogs.” He fingered the black choker around his neck.
“But they’ll f-find us if we s-stay here.”
“There has to be another place for us to hide.” My knees knocked together with fear, but I did my best to hide it. Ryder would just see me as some scared little princess.
Not that I cared.
Ryder pointed at his neck. “They’ll use this here tamer to incapacitate us.”
I swallowed hard. “Then we take them off.”
“Neuki budala.”
“Stop with the Neumarian talk.”
His jaw twitched. “You think if we could remove them, we wouldn’t?”
“Brother, w-we—”
My hands trembled. Do I dare reveal my power to them? What choice did I have?
Warm pulses shot through my body from heart to fingers. “I said we take them off.” I reached up for his collar.
It had to work.
“W-what are you d-doing?” Raeth asked.
“Removing the collar.” I concentrated on the sensation that had plagued me right before I melted the tamer.
Ryder stepped back, his eyes wide. “It’s impossible to remove.”
Raeth moved closer. “D-don’t be ridiculous.”
Men tromped above our heads, only one level up, sending dirt down in a white cloud around us.
“Th-there’s no more t-time,” Raeth squealed.
I backed him into a corner and focused on the collar. My hands burned red when I fingered the smooth surface. I’d never tried to harness the power, only to keep it suppressed.
The collar bubbled and crackled under my touch.
“Sh-she’s a—”
I ignored Raeth’s voice, the footsteps overhead, and the deranged look on Ryder’s face, and concentrated on the swooshing energy pumping through to my fingers.
The collar sent a shock through my hand and I stumbled back as it fell to the floor.
Tired beyond anything I could remember, I leaned against the wall to remain upright.
Relief flooded me. It worked. “Hurry, now you.” I repeated what I’d done to Ryder’s but nothing happened. Not even a sputter of warm tingles. “I don’t think I can do it again. I don’t know how it works. Is it because I’m exhausted?”
Ryder pulled us both to a power box in the corner. “Touch this.”
It was probably what provided energy for the humming lights above our heads. I had no idea why he thought it would help, but I reached out with my left hand and placed it on top, then touched Raeth’s collar with my right.
Current zinged from my left hand, through my heart, which thundered so fast it sounded like one continual beat, then out my right hand, and into the collar. As with Ryder’s, Raeth’s collar snapped off and so did mine.
My heart slowed and I collapsed to the ground, the black collar clutched in my palm. The metal box, now a melted ruin, fell to the floor.
Footsteps stomped down the stairs. I dug my knuckles into the ground and pushed myself upright onto shaky legs.
A wall burst to rubble. Ryder swept me into his arms and ran. My head thumped against his shoulder a few times until I managed to regain enough strength to keep myself steady.
We maneuvered through damp, musty halls. Dim lights hummed every three meters. I caught my breath and gradually energy returned to my limbs. Reaching a set of stairs, I felt stronger and pushed free of his arms. “We need to find a place to hide and as far from the ship as possible.”
“I know a place right in front of them. A place they’ll never look.” Ryder’s eyes gleaned with devious pride. “Then you’re gonna explain how the Slag Princess has gifts.”
Chapter Five
Ryder led us down a corridor several meters before turning.
“Do you think we could pose as humans? I mean, the only way I ever knew you were Neumarians were by the collars.”
He halted and turned with furrowed brows. “You sure there ain’t trackers inside us?”
I clutched my forehead and massaged with two fingers back and forth. “I can’t be sure. Mother only shared certain things with me. I’m not positive of anything anymore.”
“How long you been able to alter metal?” he asked as he continued toward what I assumed was the way to the hotel.
“Since this morning. Well, a few days. I don’t know. A day or so back I started to feel strange.” I sighed.
A wall crumbled and Raeth stood with a broad smile on her face.
Ryder’s eyes shined with obvious pride. “Wow, I believe your powers be a mite better than before.”
Raeth’s smile grew wider. “It’s n-nothing.”
He stepped over the rocks and offered his hand to both of us. Raeth struggled across the broken stone, then stopped and pulled a pebble from the foot joint of her altered leg. My heart ached, wanting to make it easier for her.
Guilt consumed me and I couldn’t take his hand. Something deep inside me screamed to stay away. It was obvious he didn’t know I’d dumped his sister in the Wasteland. If he had known, he probably wouldn’t have saved me. He’d hate me, if not kill me, when he found out what I’d done, so I ignored his hand and stumbled over the opening on my own.
“Stubborn, just like a Slag,” Ryder mumbled under his breath. I ignored him and continued to follow Raeth.
Raeth glanced back and rolled her eyes. “Do you th-think you’re birthday h-had s-something to do w-with it?”
“All I know is for the past four years I’ve been groomed to rule by my mother’s side. It wasn’t until I learned what I had to do for my birthday that I began to question things. You see, when my dad was alive I lived in the Resort Territory. I didn’t even know my mother existed then. My life consisted of afternoon swims in our lake, and lessons in art, music, and reading at my father’s side. That all stopped when a Neumarian murdered him.” My chest tightened.
“Why do you th-think a Neumarian k-killed your f-father?” Raeth asked.
“Because that’s what happened. I was there,” I snapped. But in truth, the memories were so clouded and obscure. Did I really see it, or did Mother tell me what happened? My head throbbed the more I tried to remember. “At least I think I saw it. I don’t remember much. Mother says I blocked most of it from my mind. Of course, she won’t talk about him.”
“Sorry about your Pa,” Ryder said before dropping a few paces behind us. I wanted to steal a quick glance, but I didn’t dare. He’d probably say something rude and ruin the first nice thing he’d said to me. Heck, other than Bendar and Raeth, he was the first person to be nice to me in years.
Raeth strung her arm through mine. “W-why won’t sh-she?”
“Don’t be getting attached to her. Not your family you know,” Ryder barked at Raeth from behind.
Raeth didn’t acknowledge him, so I continued. “For some reason Mother and Father never viewed things the same way. Their relationship was always distant, and he never left the Resort Territory. He said there was nothing beyond it but waste.”
“B-but you didn’t have a clue th-then about your gift?” Raeth asked.
“Gift, humph. I thought it was a curse until I released our collars. I didn’t even know I could do it for sure. This morning when Mother gave me the tamer, I became so upset about the ritual I had to perform, the outer ring altered. I knew if anyone discovered what I could do I’d be enslaved, or put to death.” I froze.
“What’s wrong?”
“I just realized something. Mother would silence me any way possible to save herself the embarrassment of having a Neumarian for a daughter.” I wrapped my free arm around my belly, and fought back tears.
“You need to stay calm.” Ryder cupped my
face in his strong, yet gentle hands. “Look at me now. Don’t go letting those memories consume you. Can’t use power without a source and there’s no metal down here. It’ll kill you, and us, too.”
I bit my bottom lip hoping to stop it from trembling.
He swiped the tears that escaped from my eyes with his thumb. “Some reason your powers are a mite hypersensitive. Like a newborn’s.” A laugh escaped his lips. “I remember Raeth bringing down the whole roof when she was no more than eight months old. She crawled across the floor and got bit by a desert beetle on her knee. Our folks were so proud, they didn’t mind rebuilding the roof.” His eyes glowed at the memory of his family.
I nodded but didn’t pull away. His hands provided a comfort I hadn’t felt since I lived in the Resort Territory with Father. “We need to go,” I said, my voice weak, betraying me.
He released me. “Come on.”
“N-not much further,” Raeth encouraged me.
I stared at my hand. “This morning I altered my hairbrush when I woke up. Then the handle of a door. By the time I altered the tamer I knew something was wrong. Although, I wouldn’t admit it to myself, not with only hours until we celebrated my sixteenth birthday.”
“Nothing right about sacrificing people. And they call us parasites?” Ryder cursed in Neumarian tongue.
He was right. No one should have to suffer the way Raeth had. “I grew up that way. Raeth, I—”
“You m-may have woken th-this morning ready to s-sacrifice me, but instead you s-saved me, so we’ll s-say it’s even.” Her voice was light and happy, as if discussing the weather instead of her death sentence.
“Prokleto čudovišta! But they were going to sacrifice you!”
I jumped at his abrasive tone.
“Y-yes. But th-they didn’t. So all is well.”
How did she stay so optimistic? Beaten and thrown in a cell for hours, shot at, and running on a Slag leg.
Ryder stomped ahead, smashing his fist against something.
“S-sorry, brother has th-that manly self-brooding th-thing down. Most of th-the girls fall at his feet b-because of it, but I f-find it annoying.”