by Eric Vall
“Get on the ship!” I called. The Lacuna Noctis was only ten meters or so ahead of us, and I ran toward the case of samples while the girls ran up the ramp of the ship. “O, close the ramp.”
“Are you sure, Colby?” the AI asked.
“Do it, now!” I shouted just as I reached the case.
I crouched down and used one hand to shove the vials back into the case while I used the other hand to fire the plasma gun at the creature. It took two more hits, but kept coming, and finally, I’d had enough.
“Fuck you!” I shouted as I stood up and held out the gun with both hands.
The beast rushed toward me with drool dripping down from its large, razor-sharp teeth filled mouth, but I screamed as I aimed the plasma gun right at the creature’s face and fired three quick rounds.
The amphibious hellhound went down with a large thud and slid across the ground, and my heart pounded like a war drum in my ears.
“Hey, O?” I whispered after a moment.
“It’s dead,” came the reply in my ear, and I was able to let out the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.
I packed up the vials into the case, then headed for the ship, but Neka and Sef’sla rushed down before I reached the ramp.
“CT!” Neka shouted as she threw her arms around me. “Are you okay?”
“You were so very brave,” Sef’sla crooned, and she planted a kiss on my cheek.
“That thing was scary!” Neka added.
“Sef’sla,” I said as I looked over the Almort princess. “Are you alright? I saw you take a tumble.”
“I’m okay,” she assured me. “A small scrape is all.”
I reached out, pulled both of the girls into me, and breathed in their scent. I was just happy to have them both safe and sound.
“This is why you can’t go out alone,” I chuckled as I pointed to the dead thing a few meters away.
“I’ll remember that next time,” Sef’sla hissed, and her eyes were wide as she took in the creature. “What is that thing?”
“I don’t know,” I said with a shake of my head. “It looks like it lives in water, maybe. We might have disrupted its home when we took samples.”
“It’s so big,” Neka breathed.
“I don’t think it counts as seafood,” I laughed at the curious look in the cat-girl’s eye as she studied the creature.
“Aw,” she pouted, and her shoulders slumped in disappointment.
“Thank you,” Sef’sla told me sincerely, and she kissed me on the cheek.
“Yeah,” Neka agreed. “Thanks, CT. But also, don’t do that again! Next time, get on the ship with us.”
“I couldn’t let you lose your samples,” I protested. “Besides, we couldn’t have left that thing out here. We have to head to the castle in the next few days.”
“I suppose that’s right,” Sef’sla said with a frown, “but I still didn’t like that.”
“I’m alright,” I assured them both. “Now, let’s get these samples to the lab.”
As we walked up the ramp, I realized how sore I was from running. My adrenaline had drained, so I was left with sore legs and a scraped knee from where I’d slid on the ground beside the vials.
We reached the lab, and Akela looked up and raised a silver eyebrow at us.
“What the hell happened to you guys?” she asked. “You’re all dirty.”
“You’re one to talk,” I teased.
The mechanic was covered in grease as she always was.
“Really,” she said as she stood up and walked toward us, and I could see then that she was concerned. “What happened?”
“We’re alright,” I said. “Sef’sla needed some samples from the water, so we went to the pond and had a run in with some of the local wildlife. It was nothing we couldn’t handle.”
“CT did all the work,” Neka praised as her tail flicked back and forth behind her. “He killed the thing and everything! It’s still outside.”
“Whoa,” Akela muttered, and she looked us over with pinched together eyebrows. “Is everyone alright? Anybody hurt?”
“A couple small scratches.” I smirked. “But I think we’ll manage.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?” the mechanic asked, and I had to smile.
“I think we’re okay,” Sef’sla told her. “You can keep working if you’d like.”
“I don’t know,” I teased, “I could sure use some lunch right about now.”
The mechanic narrowed her violet eyes at me, but she headed out toward the kitchen.
“Did you just con her into getting you lunch?” Neka giggled.
“She offered.” I grinned.
“Alright,” Sef’sla said. “Pull up your pant leg and let me see your knee.”
I did as requested, and I watched as the Almort princess dabbed the wound with a sterile solution, then placed a seaweed strip across it. She was beautiful when she worked, and her deep blue eyes concentrated totally on the task at hand. I admired the delicate structure of her face and neck, and after a moment, I reached out to place my fingers on the bioluminescent fins on the side of her neck. They lit up under my touch, and I thought I saw her cheeks darken with a blush.
I was about to reach up and touch the other side when the door whooshed open, and Akela marched back in with a plate of dehydrated food in her hands.
“Here you go,” the mechanic said with the most condescending smile I’d ever seen.
I looked at the plate, and I had to laugh. It was filled with all my least favorite foods. I knew she’d done it purposefully, and I’d expected some sort of play from her, maybe only a small amount of food, but no, she’d given me plenty. It was just everything I hated. The mechanic made sure I knew from the beginning she was not one to be a homemaker and do chores such as making breakfast and cleaning. She had one job, and she was excellent at it. I guessed I’d pushed her buttons when I asked her to make me lunch, but I didn’t mind.
“This looks delicious,” I said with a grin, and the smirk dropped from the mechanic’s face.
Neka and Sef’sla snickered, and Akela shot a glare at them, but I just pulled all three of them against me and kissed their heads.
“Mmm,” I hummed. “I’m just glad you’re all safe.”
Close calls made me all the more grateful for what I had, and I sighed heavily as I breathed in the scent of the girls and held them tighter against me.
We’d already been through so much together, and I wasn’t about to lose them to anything, especially some rabid, three-hundred-pound toad.
The girls relaxed against me, and I felt their breath on my chest. Then I kissed their heads once more before I released them.
“Alright,” I chuckled. “Who wants some real lunch?”
Neka raised her hand while Sef’sla nodded, and Akela gave me a combination grin and glare.
How I loved my women.
Chapter 12
Two full days had passed, and it was almost dark outside once more. Sef’sla had just finished packing the dose that would go into the water, and Akela inserted it into the device she’d created to make sure the medicine was dispersed evenly and quickly. It looked like a large pill capsule, and it was meant to be dropped into the water, where it would then dissolve and disperse.
“You two are amazing,” I told them as they put the supplies into Sef’sla’s medical bag.
“We know.” Akela smirked.
“It’s just about dark,” I noted. “Should we call the king and tell him the good news?”
“I think we should,” Neka giggled as she bounced up and down.
“Alright,” I chuckled and flopped down in my captain’s chair. “O, can you call my handheld device?”
“Certainly,” the AI responded, “but before I do, I just want to say good work, ladies. You are invaluable to our team.”
“We couldn’t have done it without you, O,” Akela said with a grin.
“I am certain you could have,” the AI practically chuckled, �
��but I appreciate the flattery all the same.”
A moment later, the communication screen popped up, and we waited for the king to pick up. It took several seconds, but eventually he was able to answer.
“Hello?” he whispered. “Hello, can you hear me?”
He had his face pressed right up against the device, so all we could see was his milky, yellow eye.
“You can take a step back, Your Majesty,” I said as I stifled a laugh. “We can hear you.”
“Oh.” King Grenn stepped back and regarded the screen with wide eyes. “I can see you all so clearly.”
“Yup,” I said. “We see you, too, and we have good news.”
“You do?” he asked, and his yellow eyes glinted hopefully. “Well, don’t make an old king wait.”
“Of course not,” I laughed. “We finished the medicine for the water supply. We can leave right now and add it to the pond.”
“That is marvelous,” the king said with a wide grin that faded quickly. “But I am afraid I have poorer news.”
“Oh?” My eyebrows pulled together in concern. “What’s wrong?”
“Shaso is quite angry,” the king sighed. “He has held a rally among the people in an attempt to gain support. He still believes we must complete the ritual in order to appease the gods.”
“Are the people convinced?” I asked, and I saw the girls stiffen in my peripherals.
“I cannot say for sure, but they are desperate to be rid of this illness.”
“I understand,” I said. “We will head there right now.”
“Wait, CT.” The king held up his hand. “You will need a safe place to go after you have finished delivering the medicine. There is a cabin of mine that I used for hunting as a young lad. I will give you directions.”
“Is there anything by it?” I questioned.
“No other buildings,” the king said. “It’s in the woods behind the castle.”
“Omni?” I asked.
“Already on it,” the AI replied. “One moment.”
“Who is that?” Grenn gasped, and he looked around quickly. “Do you have more people on your ship?”
“Not exactly,” I said. “Omni is a machine.”
“You insult me, Colby,” O replied. “I prefer the term supercomputer.”
“I’m sure,” I laughed.
“I do not understand this at all,” the king said with confused narrowed eyes.
“I have located the cabin,” Omni cut in after a few seconds.
“You have?” King Grenn blinked in surprise.
“Like I said,” the AI responded, “supercomputer.”
“We will leave now,” I told the king, “dose the water, and then we will head directly to your cabin.”
“Okay,” he agreed. “I will meet you there later tonight. Be safe, my friends.”
I nodded and ended the call.
“That didn’t sound good,” Neka said, and her ears pressed flat against her head.
“It’s not,” I sighed, “but the sooner we get the medicine to the citizens, the sooner we can deal with Shaso.”
“It is nearly dark,” Sef’sla clicked. “We should leave right away if we want to have any daylight left for our journey.”
“You’re right,” I agreed and stood up.
If Shaso really was up to something, then we needed to get a move on. There was no way we would be able to stop that ritual if the people of Iilmea didn’t start to get better. I didn’t take Shaso as one to give up, but the fact that he called a rally only proved he was after power instead of what was best for the people.
I quickly gathered my things, and the girls and I headed into the woods back toward the castle. The pond we needed to get to was on the eastern side of the city, and it would take us at least a couple hours to get there.
The dusk around us was beautiful, but it grew darker with each passing second, and I knew we would eventually have to rely on Sef’sla and Neka to lead the way once more. Just like the last time, I didn’t want to shine a light and draw someone, or something, to our location. The king had said he used our safe house as a hunting cabin, and I had to wonder just what there was to hunt here on Zalia.
We hopped on the ATVs, and once again, I let Sef’sla drive so I could have better access to my plasma gun.
I recognized the territory as we went, but after about an hour, we veered further east and headed toward the pond. Sef’sla and Neka were at the front of the pack, and Akela and I were in the back again. I didn’t like the girls being ahead of me, but I knew their eyesight was better, and they would see any threat sooner than I would. Plus, I had my plasma gun if we truly needed it, and they knew I wouldn’t allow anything bad to happen to them.
“So, after we put the medicine in the water supply, do you think Shaso will accept your offer to take credit?” Neka asked into my earpiece.
“I’m not sure,” I answered, “but it wouldn’t be wise for him to refuse.”
“Especially after his little ritual stunt,” Akela snorted. “If the people knew they didn’t have to kill a kid in order to be healed, I’m pretty sure they’d be pissed at whoever had tried to do the killing.”
“Right,” I said, “but this way, he could spin it that their offer was enough for the gods and they didn’t actually have to go through with it.”
“Oh, wow,” Neka gasped, and she turned around on the ATV in front of me to meet my eyes. “That’s so evil!”
“It’s not right,” I agreed, “but it would be the smart thing to do in this case. He’ll need to save face after a stunt like that.”
“I wonder what convinces someone that killing a kid will appease their gods anyway,” Akela mused.
“I wondered the same thing,” Sef’sla admitted.
“Maybe he’s crazy and really thinks he talks to them?” Neka suggested.
“I don’t think so,” I said, and I pursed my lips. “I think he wanted to do something drastic. Plus, if you can convince someone there’s a link between two things, then it’s easier for them to see it.”
“So, you’re saying that even if people did not actually get better, they might think they were getting better?” Sef’sla asked.
“Yeah,” I said. “It’s kind of like the placebo effect.”
“Like a control in a study,” Akela added.
“Ah,” Sef’sla clicked, “but the citizens would be changing variables. And it would be their minds that convinced them they were better while their bodies were not.”
“Exactly,” I replied. “So, even though we know the ritual didn’t work, if Shaso put enough stock into it to convince people, then they might try and look for ways that it worked in order to validate it. And once someone believes a lie, it can be difficult to get them out of believing it.”
“It is a good thing we are stopping this now,” Sef’sla said with a shake of her head. “This sounds terrible.”
“It’s very manipulative,” I agreed. “And Shaso is nothing short of manipulative.”
“CT, look!” Akela suddenly called out.
We’d reached a small bridge made of rope, so I hopped off the ATV to inspect it. The bridge was maybe twenty meters across, but below was a canyon of sorts, and I shone my light down to see what was in there. I expected to see water, but there was only dirt, and it was a long drop down to the bottom. We needed to be careful, especially since the bridge was designed for the Gelm and not full-size humans, cat-girls, and Almorts.
“This thing doesn’t look too safe,” Neka muttered as she batted at one of the ropes.
I reached out and grabbed her hand before I inspected the bridge more carefully. It didn’t look like the rope was frayed badly, and it seemed to be set in the ground nicely, so as long as we were careful and went in pairs instead of all at once, then it should work just fine.
“We won’t be able to take the ATVs,” I sighed.
“That seems like a given,” Akela agreed. “This thing is definitely not sturdy enough to hold that much weight.�
�
“O,” I said into my earpiece.
“What is it, Colby?” the AI asked.
“Can you call the ATVs back, we won’t be able to use them from here,” I told him.
“Certainly,” he replied, and a second later, the ATVs steered themselves back the way we came.
“So, how are we going to get across?” Neka asked.
“We’ll need to go in pairs,” I announced.
“We cannot go all at once?” Sef’sla questioned, and the bioluminescent scales on her cheeks illuminated her uncertain expression.
“Yeah,” Neka agreed, and she looked at me with wide eyes. “I don’t want to leave anyone behind.”
“No one is getting left behind,” I chuckled, “but I don’t think the bridge is strong enough to hold all of us at once.”
“Are you sure?” Sef’sla stressed.
“He’s right,” Akela said as she looked at the ropes pressed into the ground. “Between the state of the rope itself, the amount of weight accumulated amongst the four of us, and the size of the bridge, it would be safer if we went in pairs, or even one by one.”
“Alone?” Neka yowled, and her tail lashed back and forth behind her.
“Did you just do physics in your head?” I asked Akela with a chuckle.
“Duh,” the mechanic laughed.
“I don’t want to go alone,” Neka repeated, and her tail wrapped tightly around my wrist while she grabbed both Sef’sla and Akela’s hands.
“It’s alright,” I said as I stroked her tail. “You don’t have to go alone. You can choose who you want to go with.”
“But that’s not fair,” the cat-girl pouted. “I don’t want to play favorites.”
“We should choose by weight,” Akela muttered, and I could see her doing more calculations in her head as her purple eyes narrowed.
“You’re right,” I agreed. “So, Akela and Sef’sla, and Neka and me.”
“That’s what I figured, too.” The mechanic nodded.
“Is that alright with you?” I asked Neka.
“Yeah,” she sighed with a frown, “but I still don’t like it.”
“I know,” I said, “but it’ll be alright, I’ll be right by your side.”
The cat girl nodded and pressed herself closer to me. I knew she didn’t like having to split up, even for a second, but there was nothing we could do about it in this case.