Beyond Orion

by Laura D. Bastian

  I ran through all the possible options. I could pull the knife the second he went to set me down, but would I be able to actually use it against him before he realized I was not unconscious? Could I even fight against someone I couldn’t see? If I was fast, I could shove it in his belly deep enough to drop him.

  I kept that as my first option, but knew I should have a plan B. I had eased up on my self-defense skills as things got busier because of lack of time. Jai had practiced with me on Earth, even teaching me some of the techniques he had learned from a study of Martial Arts he did there.

  I was tall enough I could punch my abductor in the throat, breaking his windpipe if I got him in the right spot. But if he felt me tense up at all as he went to lift me off his shoulder, he’d be more cautious.

  He paused for a moment as a door activated.

  He walked through the narrow hallway, needing to duck a little bit and I shifted enough with his change of posture I was able to get my hand against the lip of the pocket in the front of the uniform. The knives were still out of reach, but with my fingers just inside the edge, I knew I had a chance.

  The other sliding doorway opened and he stood taller after walking through it. I hated to admit I had never been in this section of the palace. I had no idea where I was, and what I should do to get out of it. My father would be so disappointed in me.

  I heard voices speaking and tried my best to interpret the sounds. Nexleen was easy enough to understand if they spoke the official formal dialect, but certain places on Nexleen had their own cultural differences.

  I heard the word for ruler and listened harder. Were they speaking about me? Marcus? Or their own king?

  I picked out seven distinct voices and knew I didn’t have enough knives even if I lucked into good shots.

  Would they do anything if I tried to hold this man hostage? Would they let him die in order to take away my advantage?

  I knew that option wasn’t good.

  I heard a mumbled voice and wanted to turn my head to see if it was really Marcus. Though if he was invisible with the same devices they had on me, I wouldn’t be able to see him.

  “She almost got away from us,” the man holding me said. He shifted me on his shoulder and reached across the back of my legs. His dark gray uniform appeared in front of my face. The technology they used for invisibility was incredible.

  Someone with cold hands gripped my ankle. My hair and dangling arm were now visible as well.

  “She’s not wearing clothes fit for a queen. You sure you’ve got the right one?”

  “She went down the laundry chute. K.J. tracked her there. Broke his ankle in the fall, though.”

  Satisfaction rippled through me.

  “He sent me a message that she had stripped her dress off and left it on the floor. Told me to look for a naked woman, or someone dressed like a laundress poking around.”

  Had they had people stationed throughout the palace? How many people had come with Nexleen? There had only been six official delegates plus a few aides and assistants, but if these people were hidden with invisibility, there was no telling how many they had.

  “How we gonna get them both to the ship?”

  “We wait until we’re sure the ships have been loaded and we take ‘em then. For the moment, lay her next to him. They should be out for hours still.”

  Was it Marcus they were talking about? Pressure on my ankle alerted me they were turning me invisible again. I saw the bracelet on my hand flash a second, then a ripple effect covered my body and I was gone. It was the strangest sensation to see my skin disappear.

  With this many people, I didn’t dare react right away. And the guy holding me didn’t seem to realize I was conscious. I tried to hold myself loose and relaxed my muscles as completely as I could.

  He was gentle enough, cradling my head so I didn’t get injured. I peered through slit eyes, trying to take in anything, but though I heard plenty of speaking, everyone was invisible again.

  My body pressed up against something on my right side. I hoped it was Marcus like they had hinted. I needed to see if we could get out of this mess.

  I held still, listening to everything being said. The group had moved over to the far side of the room and were speaking at a quiet volume. I had no idea if anyone had been assigned to watch us. Would they know if I moved? I couldn’t chance it so I shifted my position slowly, turning around so I faced who I hoped was Marcus. I pressed my hand against him, looking for a response of any kind. He didn’t move, but I could tell he was still breathing.

  Marcus? Can you hear me?

  I waited, but heard nothing in return. I felt for the oath bond and found it was still there. It felt muted and almost inactive, understandable if he was drugged into unconsciousness. I tried again and again to speak to him telepathically, but never got a response.

  Was it possible to wake someone from a drug like that? It couldn’t be too powerful if I had avoided most of the effects. And how long had Marcus been out if they had drugged him soon after he left to meet Ryad? I moved my hand over him, discovering he lay on his back. I found his stomach and pinched the skin near his waist, gently at first, then harder and harder. Deep within me, I felt the oath bond stir.

  Marcus?

  A tickle on my consciousness stirred then disappeared.

  Marcus.

  Amira? What happened? Where are we? I can’t see you.

  I pressed my hand flat against his chest. I’m right next to you, but Nexleen has activated an invisibility device. I have no idea how many are here, but I’ve heard at least ten different voices, maybe more. They want to take us to one of the ships.

  They must be mad, Marcus said. If they kidnap the rulers of Rommader, there will be a war between our planets. And our allies would fight them as well.

  I don’t think they’ll care. Maybe they’ll use us for ransom.

  Marcus started to move but I reminded him we could be watched. He held still and asked. Do you have any plans?

  I don’t know what to do. I was hoping together we could figure something out. I still have some of my knives in my pocket, but not enough to get us out of here, especially if I can’t see who I’m fighting.

  They took my communicator, Marcus said. He sounded disoriented and confused. His telepathic speech slow and labored.

  Mine too.

  I reached for Marcus’s hand, wanting the comfort from him. Marcus gripped my hand tight. I think we need to save ourselves.

  Agreed. I squeezed back. Since they think we are unconscious, we can use that to our advantage. They haven’t even checked for weapons, probably expecting their drug to work well. Perhaps it’s different on our genetic makeup like Densinne is on the people from Dempka. If we start moving little by little, we might be able to make it over to the door.

  Are you bound in any way? Marcus asked.

  No, are you?

  No. But my body still feels numb. I’m not sure how quickly I can move.

  Using our hands to push against the floor we moved inch by inch. After each movement, we held still waiting for an indication we had been discovered. Nothing happened for a moment so we tried again. After getting a couple feet down the wall, a static echo of a communicator silenced all the invisible Nexleen.

  The voice was Ryad’s. “The ships have been restocked.”

  A communicator was picked up from a table in the center of the room. “Good news.” The voice was a woman, but I was sure on the other end where Ryad could hear, it would have sounded like the same digitalized gender-neutral voice from the first correspondence.

  “You have followed all the other directions as well?” she asked.

  “There is no one left on the ships. Just the items you required.” Ryad’s voice was blank of emotion. “Where is Delilah?”

  “Her location will be sent to you once we are safely in the ship poised to enter the wormhole.”

  “Is she well?” Ryad asked.

  “Wait for further instruction.”

&
nbsp; The communicator was shut off and placed on the table. I wished they’d answered the question, but it seemed like they were unsure what to do or say. Nothing from Ryad’s communication indicated he had a clue I was gone. Hadn’t anyone heard the firefight outside my door? Where were all the servants in the palace?

  Where exactly were we?

  Marcus, do you know this place?

  I don’t. I can’t remember anything about how I got here until you woke me up. And I don’t think I’ve ever been here before. Are we even still in the palace?

  I believe we are, but I don’t think I’ve been here either. I know we aren't in the rooms used by any of the visiting dignitaries. I don’t think this is part of the servants’ wing either. And if there are any surveillance cameras here, they probably wouldn’t be the kind that can detect heat signals without Gimpol isolating the signal. Ryad wouldn’t have had time to place them everywhere. Just in the locations he thought we’d be at first.

  Marcus indicated his agreement but cut off quickly when we heard footsteps approaching. I hated not being able to see my enemy. There was nothing I could do to fight them and if they walked to where we had been and discovered us missing, would they know which direction to look since we were covered by invisibility as well? They probably had something to allow them to see through the invisibility. I could only hope they were so occupied they wouldn’t look at us.

  A second set of feet moved closer as well and the two kidnappers began to speak. “What will we do with them?” a deep voice asked. I knew I had heard it before, but I didn’t remember who it belonged to. “Do we really dare take them both? Why not just take one?”

  “We take ‘em both,” a woman spoke. “If one remains, then they’ll be able to communicate telepathically and tell the other one where to search.”

  “It works that far? I thought they had to be on the same planet,” the man said.

  “No,” the woman insisted. “They can communicate anywhere with their telepathy.”

  “Then why hasn’t that Delilah woman told them where to find her? She’s been conscious and able to at times. Why haven’t they found her?”

  The woman’s voice paused. “Maybe they can’t. But I don’t want to chance it. We take ‘em both. That way they’ll be sure to solve the problem with the formula.”

  “But taking both will seal our death warrants. They’ll come after Nexleen as well. Our planet could be destroyed.”

  “Good thing we won’t be on it then,” the woman said.

  The man tried again. “If we just take one, then Rommader will still have a ruler and we can get off on a technicality. We can send the other one back once we’ve got the formula perfected.”

  The woman started berating him in a Nexleen dialect I couldn’t understand. It was obvious these people didn’t have the sanction of their government.

  Marcus, I think we need to chance it. We’ve got to stand up and get ready to run.

  I heard his movements as he adjusted to stand. To that doorway, keep yourself crouched enough to stay hidden. Once at the door we split up, he said.

  No, we stay together. Grab my hand and we’ll make a run for it. I reached for him, not knowing if our plan would work, but unwilling to be taken without a fight.

  Chapter Thirty Seven

  Saving Marcus

  Marcus’s hand was cold as he gripped mine. It was strange to feel him, but not see him. Without seeing my own feet, I wasn’t sure if I’d stumble or fall. Marcus seemed to struggle next to me.

  Are you all right? I asked.

  It’s taking me a while to get things to work.

  Can you run? I squeezed his hand tight.

  I don’t think I can yet. His emotions were all over the place and the oath bond kept skipping around, shooting confusing messages to me.

  We’ll walk then. The door is less than ten feet away. I’m sure we can make it there without detection.

  He moved slowly with jerking motions.

  Marcus, did they hurt you when they captured you?

  I’ll live.

  What did they do?

  I felt a brief sensation of satisfaction through the bond. Let’s just say I’m not the only one with bruises and one man won’t be returning to Nexleen.

  How could he joke about something like this? I eased up on the grip of his hand and wondered if his knuckles were suffering. Are you good to keep moving?

  His breath sounded ragged, and panic squeezed my stomach. I glanced behind me to see if there was any indication our captors had noticed anything. I stared in horror at the smear of blood on the floor where we had been laying. Drips of blood dotted a trail leading right up to where we stood. If they turned to look, we’d be caught.

  Marcus! You’re bleeding. I stopped moving and felt around his body. I couldn’t see anything, as the invisibility device covered him completely, but the blood had to have come from him.

  My hands reached around his back and found a sticky wetness. He flinched in pain and I eased up on my touch. What did this? Where did it go in?

  Knife. It glanced off a rib.

  We have to get you to a Healer. Why didn’t you tell me you were knifed? I started to pull him with me again.

  Marcus chuckled softly and I shushed him.

  Honestly, I’d forgotten about it with that drug and since I’d felt numb everywhere.

  I gritted my teeth and tried hard not to scream at him in my mind. With Marcus unable to run, what could I possibly do with him?

  I ran through my options. I needed something to slow the bleeding and at least keep him from dripping anymore. The uniform I wore had nothing I could take from it without ripping things. Marcus, do you still have your handkerchief?

  I do.

  Let me have it.

  Marcus shifted and a small gasp of pain escaped him. I prayed none of the captors talking to each other heard it. I reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the handkerchief. Working as carefully as I could, I tucked it under his saturated shirt and then undid the belt at his waist. I’m going to use this to hold the bandage in place.

  Not exactly how I imagined what you’d do if you ever undressed me.

  Heat filled my face and I was incredibly grateful I was invisible right then. I fumbled with the belt and struggled to hold the cloth against the wound as I cinched the belt and buckled it. He gasped again and I flinched at the pain that crossed the oath bond. If I felt it, he must be in agony. How it was even possible for him to remain standing I didn’t know. But he wouldn’t be able to handle it much longer.

  As we approached the door, I panicked. It had an automatic sensor, and if we passed in front of it, the movement of the door would alert anyone in the room to what we were doing. But that trail of blood would be noticed by someone eventually. Marcus swayed and nearly collapsed. Walking would make him bleed out too fast. Escaping this way was hopeless. I couldn’t leave the room with him.

  I scanned the area, searching for anything that would help me. The room was wide and spacious. A small table lined the wall, a vase and flowers the only adornment. Chairs surrounded a square table in the left half of the room, and I assumed that was where the Nexleen were gathered. We had been laid against a wall with nothing to obstruct our view. Were they so confident in their capture they didn’t even think to set guards over us?

  I’m going for help. You need someone right now. We need to move over against the wall. I’m going to create a diversion and see if I can get them to follow me.

  If I could get to a place where servants were, I could communicate with the Densinne. But I still didn’t know where I was. I changed directions and moved toward the wall. We’d taken three steps when I felt myself yanked away from Marcus.

  I fought against my attacker, wishing more than anything I could see them. I shoved my hand in my pocket and pulled out the knife there. I began slashing with the blade, striking at whatever I could feel. Screams of pain indicated I met my mark, but until I saw blood splatter the floor I had no idea what I�
�d hit.

  I heard something behind me and turned to fight, but met nothing and I spun around in circles. I pulled out the second knife, ready to throw it at the first sign of anything visible. But without knowing where Marcus was, I couldn't just throw at any sound I heard.

  I felt something grab me from behind, pinning my arms to my side in a giant bear hug. A second pair of hands disarmed me and someone deactivated the invisibility device on my wrist.

  Marcus appeared before me, obviously held up against someone as well. Whoever held him was probably the only thing preventing him from collapsing to the floor.

  His face was pale and the blood I had felt before covered his foot and stained his blue pants. I could see places on his white shirt under his jacket where the blood had spread and wondered if he had more than one wound.

  “Stop fighting or I slit his throat.” The voice came from behind Marcus.

  I knew they wanted us alive, but would they kill me if I struggled? I leaned my head back trying to tell with my senses where the person was. I could feel the body, but saw nothing. The knife pressed a little harder against my throat and I relaxed as much as possible.

  “Who are you? I demand to speak with someone in charge.”

  “Quiet,” was the only response.

  “What do you plan to do with us?” I asked, ignoring his command. “You’ll never get away with this. We have cameras all over the palace. We’ll be seen. And without a command from one of us, the ships will never be given clearance to leave. You must let me speak with someone in charge.”

  The man behind me just grunted and walked me over to a wall. He pressed me into a corner so I couldn’t see anything, but I felt his body as it blocked me from moving. The knife against my throat never let up.

  “Release her!” Marcus demanded. I heard a grunt and felt a flash of pain through the oath bond. I tried to turn to see what happened to him, but felt the sting of the knife break the skin at my neck.

  Marcus!

  I’m okay. Marcus’s voice was strained even through telepathy. His pain was obvious, but after a moment he spoke to me. I’m sorry I’ve failed you.

  This isn’t your fault.