by Leslie Chase
And the truth was that she couldn't be confident she'd have been able to fight off that alien. Like all of them, he was huge and muscular, and fast for his size as well.
More importantly, though, the fact that Rorax had put himself between her and harm without a moment's hesitation made her heart flutter.
"Are you alright?" he asked, turning to face Laura, and she blushed, realizing that she'd been staring at him while he barked orders to his men.
"I can look after myself," she muttered, "you didn't have to do that."
Rorax looked at her, and she felt a tremor run through her at the intensity of his gaze.
"I'm responsible for you being here," he said. "You have nothing to fear while I'm there to protect you."
They looked into each other’s eyes, and then Tamak interrupted the moment by pushing Laura's helmet into her hands. The moment was broken, and Rorax looked away.
"Come on, let's go," he said gruffly, shaking out his wings. Laura wished that she could read whatever emotions he was displaying with them, but his alien body language wasn't easy to read.
It doesn't matter, she told herself again, less convinced than ever. Pulling the helmet on, she tested the life support quickly before following her captors through the forcefield and out to the skyship.
It was, she had to admit, impressive. The ship was as large as any sky ship she'd seen, and the aliens had made their own modifications once they'd taken it. The hull had been repainted with red and black camouflage patterns that would have stood out on Earth but blended with the Martian landscape, and she could see the thrusters had been modified. She didn't doubt that it was faster than any purely human vessel in the Martian skies. And unlike any human skyship, the modified ship had the glimmer of an alien forcefield around its deck. There would be breathable air up there, which she admitted would be a huge improvement on the ships she'd been on. Going on deck had always meant putting on her spacesuit.
Whoever this Emperor Turian was, he's got a hell of a pirate ship named after him, she thought.
One thing it was lacking was a ladder she could use to reach the deck. None of the hatches on the side were open, either. As Laura turned to ask how she was meant to get aboard, Rorax simply swept her into his arms and leaped upward, his wings carrying them up easily.
Laura was glad no one could hear her squeak of surprise as they soared skyward. It was embarrassing enough to cling to him the way she did, holding tight to his muscular form. It was one thing to be carried by him when he was a dragon, but like this it was all too intimate and it wasn't fear that made her heart pound.
Seconds later, they landed on the deck of the ship and she reluctantly let go. No matter how good he felt, she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing it — and she certainly didn't want his pirate friends to get the idea that she was enjoying herself.
A spark in his eyes as she stepped back told him that she hadn't quite hidden her response from him, and she turned away before he noticed her embarrassment too. Popping off her helmet, she took a deep breath. She didn't want to use up any more of her suit's air supply than she needed to.
Ideally, she'd be ransomed, but now that she was in Korgan's hands, Laura was even more determined to keep her eyes open for an escape route. Even with Rorax looking out for her safety she knew she was in deadly danger.
8
Rorax
Standing at the prow of the Emperor Turian's Revenge, Rorax gazed out into the distance. Beneath him, the sands of Mars sped past, and the view was spectacular. That wasn't why he was there, though. He'd taken this position partly because it discouraged others from talking to him — he wasn't sure he'd be able to keep his feelings under control in a conversation.
More importantly, though, it let him keep an eye on the landmarks around him. Getting to Korgan's pirate hideout wouldn't do much good if he couldn't tell the Dragon Guard where it was.
He had to admit his brother had done a good job of setting himself up. The converted skyship had become a fearsome pirate vessel, named for an emperor who had expanded his realm through lightning raids that weakened his enemies. Of course, their human victims would have no idea who he was, wouldn't even be able to read the ship's name, but they weren't the people the message was aimed at.
Korgan clearly intended to threaten what remained of the Dragon Empire itself, and Rorax wouldn't allow that. The fact that Korgan was his brother couldn't be allowed to get in the way.
At least he's making that easy for me, Rorax thought with a glance back at his brother. The way he treated my prisoner shows his lack of respect for me.
It was an effort to keep his thoughts that professional. He wanted to rage at the way Korgan had threatened Adele, the way he'd looked at her. It affected him far more powerfully than he could explain, and he stole a look at the human female. She had taken a seat on the deck, out of everyone's way, and her eyes watched the pirates warily. As soon as they'd come aboard, Korgan had demanded her helmet, and now he had it hidden somewhere aboard the ship. Her beautiful face was a distraction every time Rorax looked in her direction.
What is it about you that draws me to you? He asked the question silently, cursing himself for getting distracted from his mission. She was only supposed to be bait, a lure to get him into the pirates' confidence. But he couldn't stop thinking about her, and his desire to keep her safe threatened to overwhelm his sense of duty.
Unbidden, memories of the old tales crept into his mind. Stories his parents had told him about dragon warriors finding their mates amongst the stars, the females that were the other half of their souls. In the old days, a dragon had hunted across the universe looking for his one perfect match, they said, not stopping until he found her. Rorax's parents own mating had been a political arrangement between two of the houses of the empire, and he had always thought that they told the stories somewhat wistfully.
Those were just stories for dragonlings, no truer than the tales of the First Emperor, Rorax told himself. But he couldn't help wondering if maybe, just maybe, the human female he'd captured was the mate destiny had in mind for him.
He was still pondering those thoughts when the Revenge slowed and descended into a canyon. Carefully marking the visible landmarks around them, he was looking at the horizon when Korgan walked up to him.
"Where are we?" Rorax asked. "I don't recognize this place at all. I'd assumed you'd set yourself up in a noble household from the old days."
Clapping him on the shoulder, Korgan laughed. "That would have been a bit obvious, and anyway, most of those have been ruined beyond use. Oh, a few of the crews I've recruited had lairs in places like that, but it wouldn't do for the big gathering I have in mind."
Rorax managed a smile he hoped would be convincing. "So you've found somewhere better, I take it, for a pirate king to lair?"
"'Pirate king'? I like that," Korgan said, sounding smug. "Yes. One of the old atmosphere stations came through more or less intact, and I've fixed it up. My men aren't afraid of a little hard work. Or at least, they're more afraid of me."
"I thought the stations were all gone. They were big targets in the war." The rebels had started their attack on Mars by destroying the technology that allowed people to survive on the surface, and the huge atmosphere stations had been the core of that. Without them pumping out oxygen to breathe, the whole planet had quickly choked to death.
"Oh, it doesn't work, but they didn't manage to completely destroy this one. It still has enough capacity to fill the cave it was built in with breathable air, which is what we need. And there's lots of space for ships to dock, as well. You'll see."
Ahead of them in the canyon a vast cave mouth opened, the faint shimmer of an atmosphere shield visible inside it. The Emperor Turian's Revenge slid into the cavern, heading home.
The great hall of the atmosphere station was at once impressive and disappointing. The massive cavern stretched for miles, and huge crystal towers rose from the floor. When the station functioned, they would have al
l been thrumming with power, generating breathable air which would have blown around them in a gale. Now they were silent, broken. Some of them still reached the roof, but most had shattered, shards littering the floor around them. The results of the attack that had killed Mars a thousand years ago, Rorax thought.
A few of those that were still complete were back in operation, producing enough air to fill the cavern. No more, though — it had taken dozens of these places to produce enough air for the whole planet, as well as a forcefield to keep it all from escaping to space. The grandeur of what the Dragon Empire had once been able to do so casually was a reminder of how much they had all lost.
At the foot of the nearest functional tower, the pirates had made their camp. Crude tents and huts stood amongst piles of loot they'd scavenged or stolen from the humans, and up against the crystal itself, Rorax saw a great chair raised high. Almost like a throne, he thought, suppressing a laugh. No wonder he'd been tickled at being called a pirate king, he was already acting like one.
Less amusing were the cages nearby, filled with human prisoners. There were dozens of people held there, Rorax saw, all waiting to be ransomed back. And none of them were as precious as his own prisoner — he wondered if anyone was likely to pay for these men and women. If not, what would become of them? Korgan wasn't the type to waste food and water on unproductive prisoners.
Another reason this mess needs to be cleaned up sooner rather than later, he thought.
The pilot brought the Emperor Turian's Revenge in to dock beside a motley assortment of pirate ships, and Rorax was relieved at the state of the other ships. They were in various states of repair and decoration, but none were anywhere near as well maintained as the Revenge. Most had new names crudely daubed over their old human names, and only a few looked like they had forcefields of their own. Knowing how small humans built, that made Rorax shiver. He couldn't imagine any dragon would feel at all comfortable crammed into the tight cabins of those ships, but without a shield to keep an atmosphere on deck they wouldn't be able to stay outside.
Only one of the other ships, the Dragon Claw, was larger than the Revenge, and despite its size it was considerably less impressive. Where the Revenge had five thrusters on each side, the Claw had only two, and instead of the camouflage of Korgan's flagship it was still painted a dull and uninteresting gray.
All of the other ships were much smaller, closer to the size of the vessel he'd found Adele aboard. There were more of them than he'd expected, though, and that was more bad news.
The crews of the ships hurried out from the pirate camp, looking up with interest at the Revenge as it settled to the cavern floor. Dozens of dragon warriors, all grinning at Korgan as he waved and descended, Rorax following with Laura in his arms.
"Well, little brother, what do you think of my lair?" Korgan said, looking back at him as they strode into the camp. "A dozen crews, all gathered under me for mutual protection."
"It's quite something," Rorax said, carefully neutral. It didn't seem like a good idea to tell him that, while the setting was impressive, squatting in the ruins of a machine they couldn't repair seemed a little pathetic.
Korgan's eyes twinkled, and Rorax knew that his brother wasn't fooled. They'd never had an easy time of lying to each other, which was going to be a problem now. I'll just have to keep from telling any direct lies, that's all, Rorax told himself for the thousandth time. I only have to put up with this until I can report this place's location to the emperor.
The sooner he could do that, the sooner this would all be over. He tried to push the thought from his mind, to focus on the present, but he wanted this done.
"Let me show you around," Korgan said, putting his arm around Rorax's shoulders and leading him away from the camp. Rorax looked back at his prisoner, and his brother laughed.
"Don't worry so," Korgan said. "The human will be fine, we have plenty of experience in keeping them captive. And we have some things to discuss, you and I, before we arrange for a ransom to be paid."
There wasn't anything Rorax could say to object to that, not without risking a fight that he couldn't win. Reluctantly, he let his brother guide him into the darkness away from the crystal tower, and soon they were alone.
Once they could no longer hear the crowd of dragons, Korgan turned to him with a serious look on his face. Holding Rorax at arm's length, he looked him in the eye. For a long moment, neither spoke.
"Why are you really here?" Korgan asked at last. "You were never the pirate type. Grorg is a brute of a man, he'll fit right in, and Tamak I can see joining us as an adventure. But you, little brother? You've always been consumed with your duty."
Rorax had steeled himself for this moment since he'd taken on the mission, but that didn't make it easy. The suspicion in his brother's eyes was dangerous, and he couldn't afford to feed it.
"Duty is many things, Korgan," he said, voice steady and firm. "The empire is changing, and I don't know what I owe it anymore. I do know that I owe you my obedience. You're the head of our house now, and that still means something to me."
It was hard to say that, largely because it was true. Their parents would be long dead by now, and as far as anyone on Mars knew they were the last members of their noble house. That made his brother Lord Korgan, at least in theory.
Korgan weighed that for a moment before smiling. "You're here because you feel an obligation to become a pirate? I mean no offense, little brother, but that's a bit messed up."
Rorax shrugged. "Call it that if you like. I found out where a valuable target was going to be, and I realized that I wouldn't get another chance like this. I couldn't let it pass. So here I am, with two more recruits for you as well as a hostage. You get a big payday, and I get a place here by your side. We both win. Do my reasons matter so much, beyond that?"
That seemed to be enough to convince Korgan. He clapped Rorax on the back, smile widening.
"You always were a strange one, little brother. Still, I need someone like you. Someone who's loyal and honest, who I can trust to be my right hand. Most of the people who followed me here, well, they'd stab me in the back for a bigger share of the treasure we're gathering. What do you say?"
Rorax took a step back, surprised. He'd expected suspicion, worried that Korgan might try to take his prize away from him. The idea that his brother might offer him a position as second in command had never occurred to him, and it woke feelings in him he didn't welcome.
For all that Korgan was a thief, a murderer, and a pirate, he was still Rorax's brother. It wasn't easy to work against him, even if he deserved it.
Trying to cover his confused feelings, Rorax nodded. The one thing that was certain was that he couldn't afford to say no. The last thing Rorax needed was his brother wondering why he'd turned down that offer.
Before he could sort out what he was going to say, their conversation was interrupted by a shout of alarm from the camp. Both brothers spun to look in its direction, and a moment later they were airborne, flying back as fast as they could.
Rorax's heart pounded, and he cursed himself for leaving Adele alone with the rest of the pirates. He should have known that discipline here couldn't be trusted — every dragon in this cave was here because they'd broken their oaths, after all. The fact that Korgan didn't trust anyone else to be his second in command only made that clearer.
But as they swooped back down to land in the circle of firelight, he saw that it hadn't been her that shouted. Grorg was picking himself up, snarling, blood trickling from a busted lip, and another dragon stood over him. Dakar, the pirate who'd nearly punched Adele back at the hunting lodge, held her by the arm and shook her. Tamak watched helplessly from the sidelines.
Rorax stepped forward to intervene, but his brother's hand landed on his shoulder and held him back.
"I want to see this," Korgan said. Rorax ground his teeth but stayed put. There were too many pirates to challenge directly, and if he blew his cover he wouldn't do anyone any good.
; "She's our leverage," he said, trying to disguise his feelings with a practical objection. "If they hurt her, we won't get paid."
"No. If they kill her, we won't get paid. But do you really think her father won't pay up just because she's been roughed up a little? I'd say that he's more likely to pay to get her back quickly. Let Dakar have his fun."
Rorax bit down on his response. Anything he said now would be too likely to give the game away.
The dragon holding Adele grinned down at her, stroking a hand through her dark hair. Rorax felt his hands flex with a desire to rip that man's hands off, and he willed himself to stillness, gathering himself. If Dakar went too far, he'd be ready to intervene. Somehow.
Before he could think of a plan, she shrugged Dakar off and pulled away. He laughed, pulling her back towards him, and she twisted with the movement. Turning quickly, she lashed out with a kick that slammed into Dakar's knee with a crunch. With a grunt of surprise and pain he let go of her arm and staggered back, catching his balance against the wall of a nearby hut.
Backing away warily, Adele raised her hands in a defensive posture, and Dakar barked a forced laugh as he followed her. The rest of the pirates watched with amusement as he stalked his prey, and Dakar clearly didn't want to be remembered for losing a fight to a human female.
He lunged, and she stepped aside smoothly, one hand jabbing forward into his solar plexus and doubling him over. The smooth economy of the blow impressed Rorax, and the rest of the crowd laughed as the dragon's return swipe missed her. She was already out of his reach, circling him. Rorax felt his heart pound with fear for her, but he couldn't deny it — for a human, his prisoner was magnificent in a fight.