by Stella Sky
His name was Jackson, and both he and a man named Tyrel had been following me around all afternoon pestering me with questions.
They claimed that they had fought with Elise briefly: that she trained them on how to corner Vithohn and try and convince them to ally. They were all about the alliance and just as ‘rah-rah-rah’ as she was about it.
“We're so grateful to be back with Elise,” Tyrel said. “We'd worked with her before.”
I blew out a bored breath and headed into the common room: a large abandoned office where the humans took to playing cards. “So you’ve told me,” I breathed.
“We heard there are Vithohn from another camp coming this way. We might actually have enough people to do a raid. What do you think?” Jackson asked, sitting down across from me.
“Not my call,” I said, shuffling the human cards and desperately wishing they would leave me alone.
“Good answer,” Tyrel said, sounding less enthused with me then.
“Hey, relax,” Jackson laughed, patting his friend on the shoulder. “We're all friends here.”
“You talk to Elise,” I said flatly. “I go where she goes.”
Tyrel narrowed his eyes at me and gave a challenging nod. “That right?”
“Tyrel!” Jackson called with a yell that was a little too eager.
The man shrugged: his eyes never leaving mine. “I just don't want him walking around like he runs this camp now.”
“Sorry, he's... jumpy,” Jackson offered apologetically.
“Uh-huh,” I said unenthusiastically.
From across the room, I spotted two familiar faces: a clear sign that Elise’s camp had finally caught up with us. I excused myself from the assholes I had been speaking to and made my way over to Daxarus and Rebecca, who were already standing with Elise.
“What are you doing here?” Daxarus said with a small, nervous smile.
“Els, you split, or what?” Rebecca said, looking intently at the blond woman next to me.
Elise looked at me and then down at her hands, unusually uncomfortable. “We had... a bit of an upset at the fortress,” she admitted.
“You? Causing an upset?” Daxarus mocked. “No!”
“Shut up,” she said with a small measure of cheer returning to her voice.
“Kodyn, I want to talk to you,” Daxarus said, ushering me away from the girls.
We walked to the corner of the camp near a giant wooden windmill. It was painted various shades of bright yellow and was in serious need of some attention.
I looked up at the sign with a smile and then back to Daxarus. I scratched the back of my head and flipped my spires behind my back.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“The camp is hostile,” he said lowly. “Can you feel it?”
I felt a whoosh of air leave me: relief coming in waves. Finally, someone who understood me, who understood the Vithohn senses.
“I’ve felt it since we came here,” I agreed. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know,” he said surreptitiously. “But I don’t think we’re safe here.”
I looked across the camp at the girls: watched Elise embrace Rebecca and studied the way she kicked her legs around when she was in mid-conversation: the way her green eyes sparkled when she was wrapped up in happiness.
“Then let's get the girls,” I said urgently.
If the camp was really in trouble and I wasn’t the only one who thought so, then we had to get our women out of here as soon as possible. I wouldn’t have another disaster on my hands. I wasn’t going to let anything happen to Elise. Not this time.
“No...” he corrected quietly. “I mean you and me. The Vithohn. We aren't safe.”
“Elise said this is where we're supposed to come to get allies,” I offered.
“Then she picked the wrong group,” he said.
I blinked in surprise. “This is her militia that’s just come in, isn’t it? Your group from Scarlet Heights?”
“Not all of them,” he warned.
“Is that right?” I hummed.
“We heard some of the militia are looking for Vithohn blood,” he said. I nodded, and Daxarus chewed on his lip before slapping me on the shoulder. “I’m staying alert. Something’s wrong.”
“Thanks for the warning,” I said.
He nodded, and we both looked over at the commotion that was building in the distance. My blood ran cold then: my heart slowing to a crawl. I felt like the faintest wind could knock me over.
“Meet me later, alright?” he said, and I nodded.
I couldn’t sleep at all that night. Fights had been breaking out in the camp: the problem when you blend not only two resistance groups, but various Vithohn confined to the same living quarters.
The nights were cold, and I struggled to sleep in this new camp. My ears pricked back at sudden noises, and I noticed that Elise was curled up against me. I pulled away slightly and looked her over. I felt my heart start to pound hard and loud in my chest.
It was her militia who were after me? I knew it had to be a coincidence; she wouldn’t betray me. But the very thought that it could be true was enough to make me sick.
I licked her skin, my tongue running up her neck like a washcloth before biting into her. Suddenly I needed to possess her. To make everything alright again between us.
“Mm…” she murmured, half asleep and half lust-filled.
I traced my hands up her hard breasts and twirled my finger around their points. Her body began to writhe at the sensation, but she seemed too seduced by sleep to open her eyes. I left my hand stalled over her chest and then leaned in and whispered, “Elise?”
The girl didn’t wake up, and I leaned down and kissed her. She was beautiful always, but especially at night. Especially in these silent, still moments that were just for me to see.
I did love her.
I didn’t know how to say it quite yet, but I could feel it in my heart. The rush I felt around her: the protection I wanted to give her for the rest of our lives. This was love.
There was a knock at my door, and I remembered I was supposed to meet Daxarus outside some time ago. I sighed and tried to leave Elise as quietly as I could before slipping out the bedroom door.
Daxarus was waiting outside for me, and I walked over to him, startled by how loud the outside world was. We both perked up at the sound of a fight in the distance. We both knew the familiar war cry—there were Vithohn breaking into the camp.
“Look,” Daxarus said under his breath, nodding toward the commotion. “Ten Vithohn, by my count.”
I craned my neck and looked toward the gates of the camp. The Vithohn had ripped down the front gate, and I felt like my legs were a springboard, ready to fly at a moment’s notice.
Most of the Vithohn who were coming in had human females with them, bloody and battered. There were no guards at the entrance they’d just made for themselves, so Daxarus and I rushed toward them.
“What’s going on?” I asked and shot up a brow.
Daxarus nodded to them, and they immediately seemed to trust that they were doing the right thing by letting the gashed up aliens into their camp.
“Those bastards led us here to slaughter!” one of the Vithohn spat, blood dripping with thick saliva from his mouth. “They stole our women!”
“Mine was carried off right in front of my eyes,” another said, and I could see the aggression that once died with his love returning in her absence. He flashed me a wild look, and I could relate to his pained expression.
I hurried the Vithohn away from the entrance and asked, “And you think they have them here?” I blinked. “Who led you here?”
“We don’t know,” yet another Vithohn said to me. “I followed the mechs,” he said in a trance, pointing in the distance with a shaking hand. “They took Sadie.”
“If she’s here, we’ll find her,” Daxarus said in a whisper. “Stay quiet; these people can’t be trusted. You,” he pointed to one of the Vithohn and then ge
stured toward one of the abandoned bunkers. “Check in there. They’re the only spare rooms they could be keeping them in, as far as I know. And be quiet.”
A redhead who came in with one of the Vithohn took a deep, steadying breath and wiped the sweat from her forehead. She seemed familiar with Red Ridge, as she quickly began to explain to all of us, “There’s a tunnel underneath the course: used to be a way to get to the stables from here.”
“Let’s go,” a Vithohn said to her, grabbing her hand and getting ready to leave.
I felt a sharp pain cross through my temples as I looked at the Vithohn who was about to leave with the redhead. “You,” I pointed, as something occurred to me. “When did this happen?”
“A few weeks ago,” he said and then recognition overtook his face. “I know you,” he said, wagging his finger at me.
“In the desert, by the canyon?” I asked, desperately.
“You…” he exhaled sharply. “You were with Fiona. The Voth.”
I nodded, horrified. “And you followed the mechs back here?”
It didn’t make any sense, I kept thinking. Why would these people have hurt Fiona? She never mentioned Red Ridge, so why would they have anything against her?
All along I had been waiting to get my revenge, and it turned out I had been in their camp.
I took my leave from the group of entering Vithohn and made my way into the abandoned bunkers with the alien who had recognized me. We tore the rooms apart, looking for any signs of the girls. It was only when I’d torn one of the drawers out of a metal desk, the same desk that held spare keys to the locker rooms, that I spotted Fiona’s necklace.
It was a pair of gold dog tags with her name engraved on them. One of the men had ripped it off her during our fight in the desert. I thought I’d killed that man, but apparently, I was wrong.
I stared down at the necklace and couldn’t understand what I was seeing. I brought it up to my mouth and kissed it: the last of her. Now was the time for revenge. Now was what I had been waiting for. I just couldn’t put all the pieces together yet.
Fiona had trained with the men who’d come into the camp this morning.
These were the same men who had brought in a myriad of mechs: the same ones who had killed Fiona.
Now they had gone after even more Vithohn, stolen their women, and brought them back to Red Ridge?
My head was spinning.
I stumbled out of the bunkers, numb and cold, ready to strike. Rebecca stood beside me at the opening of the doorway. Daxarus had involved her in this. Of course he had. She held her hand on the wooden frame of the windowsill and stared right at me.
“Was it them?” she asked, sounding as soft as I had ever heard her.
I held up the necklace, wanting to toss it to her but also too stubborn to let it leave my side ever again. It was her, all along. Elise’s people. The ones she’d been so sure were looking for an alliance.
“I don't understand... these were Elise's people. Why turn?” Rebecca said, sounding equally as confused as I did.
“I'm not interested in finding out,” I breathed.
“This has been a plot all along: the alliance?” Daxarus asked and looked suddenly dire. Rebecca per her hand on his arm and shook her head violently.
“That's not true,” she defended vehemently.
“Not from you,” he corrected, looking into her eyes. “From him,” he said, pointing. “From Bossman.”
Rebecca swallowed hard, and her eyes flicked up across the camp. “Then what do we do?”
A brunette with curly brown hair ran up to us in a hurry: a contact of Rebecca’s called Elizabeth. Daxarus had told me of her when we first met.
“Got it,” Elizabeth announced, bending over and using the wall to steady herself as she heaved for breath.
Rebecca frowned and asked, “What?”
“I talked to Bossman,” she said breathlessly. “He’s doing a strike on all the Vithohn; he’s done playing nice. His words, not mine.”
“They’re going to kill us all,” Daxarus said slowly. The horror dawning on him.
I shook my head. “Not if we kill them first.”
Chapter Thirteen
Elise
I woke up to a sound that was becoming all too familiar to me. A fight. There was commotion happening in the camp, and I raced to throw my clothes on, panicked as my mind registered that Kodyn wasn’t in our room anymore.
I ran outside, weapon in hand, and saw the chaos in the courtyard. Vithohn were raging against our people, and I instantly began to scream. I ran into the fray and caught sight of my beautiful Kodyn. “What’s going on?” I yelled, running to him.
“It was you,” he boiled, recoiling from me.
“...What do you mean?” I asked, tensing and trying not to burst into tears. “What’s happening?”
K: *whips a man to the ground*
“Your crew attacked Kodyn,” Daxarus offered, looking just as disturbed as I was.
I frowned deeply. “Last night?”
“No,” Daxarus shook his head and set a hand on my shoulder. “With Fiona.”
I felt my heart drop and I shook my head. “They wouldn’t do that. My crew wants an alli—”
“I’ve heard enough about your alliance,” Kodyn snapped at me, the love in his eyes completely lost.
“Kodyn, come on, listen to me, please,” I begged.
“I said it's enough,” he said, and I reached my hands out to him.
“There's an explanation, just let me find out and stop this,” I said in shock. I was mid-sentence when I looked around the camp and realized that the Vithohn had taken over: more must have arrived in the night, and now we were surrounded.
Except we weren’t surrounded, because it was very clear that Kodyn and Daxarus were fighting with their own.
“Kodyn, please. If you do this...” I began, tears spilling over now.
“Then what? The humans will never trust me?” He scoffed, “What a loss. We're taking the mechs.”
“Like hell you are!” I yelled and looked over to see Rebecca running up toward us. I ran into her arms, and she hugged me briskly. I could hear the familiar cry of battle raging in the camp: bone on bone and the screams of our militia. It wasn’t clear who was winning, but something told me the Vithohn definitely had the upper hand.
“Elise,” Rebecca warned. “Let them go.”
I frowned deeply at her, watching as the Vithohn began to storm the set of mechs that were lines in a row.
“Don't abandon the mission, ok?” she said desperately. “But we have to start fresh. They're not going to stop until they've had their revenge, and we have to get out of here. Bossman is planning an attack.”
I loved Rebecca, especially at this moment. She was giving me everything I needed to hear as quickly as possible.
“Why?” I shouted.
“The militia got word that a Kilari had shapeshifted and they freaked,” she said in a whisper, shielding me from Kodyn’s fury. “Apparently they were just supposed to get…” She sighed and looked around the camp, pulling us away from the bulk of the violence. “Look, Kodyn has a scanner.”
I exhaled, terrified. “Yeah, he told me about it. He stole a scanner…” Then it dawned on me. “That can show a Kilari?”
“No, babe,” Rebecca said quietly. “Kodyn is the scanner, and he was leaving the Vithohn fortress.”
I swallowed hard. I understood now. He was leaving because he didn’t want to turn in Ordyt.
“It doesn’t matter now,” she waved me off. “It’s Bossman; he’s launched an attack, and if we don't do something, this whole camp is going to get slaughtered.”
My eyes spilled over with tears; Kodyn had already left. I couldn’t even see him anymore. “What do I do?” I asked pathetically.
“Bossman likes you, babe,” she instructed. “You’re going to go have to beg.”
I felt my stomach turn and felt sicker by the second. Why did I feel like beg didn’t actually mean beggin
in this case. Before I could respond, Rebecca pointed to the chaos in the city: Kodyn and Daxarus tearing apart our base and slaughtering our soldiers. “Whatever you do, you have to do it quickly.”
I found my way into Liam Broderick’s office in haste. I knew Kodyn was dead-set on revenge, and if these people really sought him out and killed Fiona, then I knew he would stop at nothing to destroy the entire camp.
I noted the men on either side of the room: Bossman’s guards. Ignoring them, I stormed into the middle of the office and pleaded, “What the hell are you doing?”
“So nice to see you again, my little runaway,” Liam cooed, mocking me.
“Bossman, you have to stop,” I begged. “They're going to tear the camp apart.”
He offered me a regal brush off as he said, “We already have men in mechs waiting for them. Tell them to make a move. I dare you.”
“I know you're afraid,” I said. “I know you’re looking for the scanner, but you don’t have to worry about the Kilari. There was one shapeshifter, and he was scanned and killed.”
Liam raised a curious brow and looked suddenly serious. “How do you know?”
“Because I was there. Believe me, I saw it with my own eyes... So stop this before we can’t win the Vithohn over.”
“Don’t you get it?” he said, making a face that made me feel like an idiot. “I don’t want to win the Vithohn over anymore. They’re dangerous. They took over this planet; they tried to wipe us out.”
“You’re putting all our lives at risk all for some petty—”
“Petty?” he repeated furiously, prompting his guards to jump and ready their restraints. “This is our whole world they blew to shit here, Elise! Tell me what else is worth fighting for?”
“They don’t want to fight us! They wanted to help us! And you’re ruining everything!” I yelled back.
Liam narrowed his eyes at me, shifting around his desk. “Is that so?”
“Please, call off your men, Liam,” I cried. “I will do… anything.”
“Huh,” he said, flicking his brow up and tapping his fingers along the desk. He looked at his guards and asked, “Anything, she says? And what about your little creature?”