by Dan Decker
When he reached the road, he decided to try the home where Adar had killed the turncoats first. Maybe Erro was hiding, waiting for Adar to return.
Chapter 25
It was still dark when Adar awoke with a start. Stars were overhead, and a slight breeze caressed his forehead. He could tell by the height of the moons that dawn was approaching. The sky was already starting to lighten or was that just his imagination?
He discovered his hands had been bound together when he reached to rub the back of his sore head. He took a deep breath while he carefully shifted his feet and discovered they were bound as well. His first instinct was to sit up, but he repressed it, not wanting to move until he had a chance to get a bearing on his surroundings.
Helda would be nearby.
Rocky ground dug into his elbows and back. He moved his head in a small motion and discovered the rock was quite smooth. Cobblestones?
How long had he been out? When he had gone into the ship, it had been the later part of the afternoon. He hadn’t had a way to track time while he’d been clearing the ship and trying to find a way to open the door.
Surely, that hadn’t taken all night.
The more likely explanation was he’d been unconscious or sleeping for much of that time.
He sniffed the air. The stench of burned Hunwei flesh still hung heavy. That didn’t tell him much since the whole confounded town stank of the stuff.
He could hear voices nearby, but they spoke softly. He was unable to make out any words, or even if they were men or women.
Bleeding Melyah, he thought, it could be Hunwei for all I know. From the side of his eye, he could see the outline of a ship as it cut against the starry sky. He was unable to tell from his position on the ground if it was the ship that he’d tried to commandeer.
After several more seconds had passed without anything happening, he risked moving his head to get a better look.
He could just make out a glow of light and smiled when he recognized a jagged outline. It was the hole he’d blasted into the door of the ship.
His ears perked up when he discovered the voices he’d heard earlier were coming from a conversation between several turncoats. They were at the front of the ship, looking as though they were standing guard. Whatever it was they were doing, they weren’t looking his way.
When he looked in the other direction, he was surprised to see he wasn’t alone. Kura was several feet away. Her chest moved, but she was out cold with a large lump on her forehead. Even in the dim light, he was surprised to recognize that she was a beautiful woman. He’d been so focused on other things the thought had never crossed his mind. It was funny the types of details a man missed when he was focused on trying to survive.
It also didn’t help she hadn’t been particularly grateful for his intercession on her behalf. It would have saved him a lot of trouble if he had left well enough alone.
If I would have done that, he thought, remembering the way the turncoat had stared at her. She would be either dead or captured. The turncoats were on my tail and would not have just passed her by.
She couldn’t just blame him for the trouble he’d caused by killing Tate, she now had everything else that had happened to her and Lars since.
Lars! Adar thought, doing his best to look past Kura without moving too much, afraid he’d see the boy beside her as well. A boy that small wouldn’t withstand a blow to the head so well. There wasn’t anybody beside Kura. What happened to the boy?
Tightness formed in his chest. If anything happened to Lars… Or to Hucky...
Adar held the anger in his mind and imagined forcing it into a metal safe, much like the safe he’d burned holes into so he could retrieve Derren's tablet. In his mind, he shut the door and locked it before placing the key on top. If he were to have any chance of getting out of this, he would need to not let his emotions become clouded.
He would also kill anybody that harmed those two boys.
After he was able to take control, he focused on deep breaths.
Apparently, Helda had thought it sufficient to merely tie him up. This wasn’t the first time he’d found himself in such a position.
Never leave a man alive and tied up, if you don't want him coming after you. It was a sure way to guarantee they would seek revenge. The only exception to that rule might be in Colonipo.
He'd been surprised at the tenacious bounty hunters that had tried to catch him since that time.
Adar stretched his neck as he considered what to do next. He shouldn’t have awoken at all, with everything that had happened, he should have been dead.
Helda and Melynda had to both be Kopal. Neither of them had a reason to leave him alive either.
The same held true for the turncoats. He couldn’t imagine any other reason why they stood nearby, other than to keep watch over him and Kura.
He moved his bound hands to his side and wasn’t surprised that they’d found his daggers. When he lifted his feet, he confirmed those he kept in his boots had been removed as well. It was a shame to have lost his black tipped Ou Qui dagger. It was the only weapon he had that could always kill a Hunwei or turncoat.
Was it possible he was wrong about Helda and Melynda? Perhaps they knew Isak and had decided to take his side. Maybe Helda had dragged them out here only to have the turncoats show up. In that situation, Isak would have run. Adar supposed the turncoats could have mistaken him for dead.
If all that were true, that doesn't explain why Kura is here. Isak was asking for me, not her. Why take her captive as well?
The theory also had another gaping flaw he couldn’t ignore. If Helda had turned them over to Isak, he would have killed Adar immediately.
No, the more likely explanation was that Adar had run afoul of the Kopal again and they'd kept him alive for their own purposes.
How in the nine burning fires had the Kopal spread all the way out here? As he mulled the question over he realized he was looking at it wrong.
He had never thought to wonder if the Kopal were only located in Rarbon. Melyah! What he wouldn’t give for a few minutes with Molach Morgol.
General Morgol now, Adar amended, wondering if Molach had gone back to his old ways in Adar’s absence. Fifteen years was a long time. Molach had probably just assumed Adar was dead. He had better hope I die rather than return to learn he went back on his oaths.
Adar recognized the sound of blasters firing. After a glance towards the turncoat guards, he rolled to his chest and looked around the town square.
The blaster fire was happening on the other side. Hunwei and turncoats—he could discern which were which by their height—were rounding up humans again. He did a quick count and was surprised to see less than ten of the alien enemy over there. Why so few? Another glance around the town square showed there was only the one ship left.
Why would they bother collecting captives? Why not just take the ship and leave?
It appeared several people were giving some resistance. He could just make out the sound of swords hitting the Hunwei armor. He distinctly remembered that haunting sound and wouldn't forget it for as long as he lived. He wished whoever it was luck, but most likely they would be dead shortly.
His eyes settled on the ship and the hole he’d torn using the blaster. A smile cracked his face. It was the first real smile he’d had all day. Had he done something to disable the ship? Was it not capable of flying with a hole? A ship on the ocean would sink with a hole that large. Was a spaceship any different?
If we kill these Hunwei and turncoats, the ship is ours. If he didn’t stop them, they could destroy the ship, but they were probably planning to fix the hole so they could get it off the ground.
The turncoat guards both still looked the other direction, towards the fight.
Adar pushed to his knees and sat back so that his feet were in front of him. The knots on the rope around his ankles were tight, but he wiggled them loose with a little effort.
From this new vantage point, he could see a bru
ise had formed on Kura’s forehead.
Had she come to his defense after Helda had made her move? If that was the reason, perhaps he had misjudged her after all.
The thought strengthened his determination to free her, find Lars and Hucky—even if that meant he came with Melynda—and get away.
What had happened to Barc? Adar would try to find the man. Barc had made an effort, albeit feeble and complaining all the while, but Adar would see the man to his daughter still the same.
Now that Adar’s feet were free, he examined the knots on his hands and sighed with exasperation. He wouldn’t be able to undo these using only his teeth. He needed the dexterity of fingers if he was going to make any progress.
A glance towards the turncoat guards showed they still were focused away from him.
Careful, he thought. Don’t want to get comfortable. They are bound to turn their attention this way soon enough.
If he wasn’t misreading the position of the moons, dawn was less than half an hour away. His window of opportunity was brief, but it was enough time.
Moving so as not disturb any cobblestones that might have become loose, he maneuvered until he was almost on top of Kura. He looked down at her, wondering how to wake her without attracting unwanted attention from the turncoats. If he were to shake her, she might come to with a cry. He was about to risk whispering in her ear when her eyes popped open.
When he jumped slightly, her face broke into a smile.
“Never thought I’d get that kind of response from you,” she whispered, yawning. “Glad to see you’re finally awake. I must have dozed off.”
“Not only up,” he whispered, shaking off the surprise he’d felt. It had been a long time since someone had got the drop on him like that. “Almost free. Give me your hands.”
She held them up, and he went to work. The knots on her were tight but even with his bound wrists, he loosened the rope enough that she could pull one of her hands free. A little bit more effort and the rope fell away from the other.
“Quick, do mine.”
“No,” she said, turning her attention to the rope binding her feet. “You can run. I can’t. If they discover us now, you’ll make it away and I won’t.”
Adar opened his mouth with a rejoinder but realized she was correct. It made more sense to do what she proposed. He gave a nod of his head, but she didn’t appear to have seen it.
When he looked back towards the turncoats, they had disappeared.
“Our guards are gone.” Adar cursed under his breath, scanning the area but not finding them. The most likely place for them to have gone was into the ship. “You done yet?”
She looked up. “A little help would be nice.”
He swallowed when he saw she hadn’t made progress with the knots around her ankles.
What if the guards had gone around the ship? “Melyah! We don’t have time for this. Lay down. No, in the exact spot you were in before.”
She began to argue, but he put his hands to her mouth, the rope of his bindings rubbing up against her skin.
He pushed her back and mouthed the words. “Stay down.”
Once she was in place, he positioned himself so he lay beside her, in as close of a position as he could to what he’d been in before waking.
“What are you—”
“They’re coming. Put your hands together like they are still bound and hold still.” After a moment’s thought. “Close your eyes too.”
Adar pushed his feet together and just as he closed his eyes, heard boots scraping against cobblestone as the turncoats came around the far side of the ship.
Kura’s arm barely touched his, but he could feel her shaking. He willed her to keep still. One of the turncoats said something. It had a familiar sound to it, and Adar realized he had subconsciously expected to understand it because of his guess about where the turncoats had come from. He perked up and paid closer attention.
The words were each distinct, but he was unable to make anything out. Every now and then, he heard a word that had a ring to it. He was almost able to understand it, but then it disappeared, lost in the jumble.
The turncoats chatted, the sound of their voices right above Adar and Kura. The tone of the conversation made Adar think the guards were bored. The minutes ticked by as daylight came closer.
When they finally moved away, Adar’s armpits were drenched with sweat and the sky was starting to lighten. He gave it several more heartbeats and didn’t relax until he could tell by their conversation that they were walking away.
He opened his eyes and saw the turncoats were back where they had been before they’d made a circuit around the ship.
“We’re clear,” Adar said, wondering if the turncoats thought he was dead. Perhaps that was why they hadn’t bothered killing him. There were already so many bodies on the town square field that he might have just disappeared among them.
Kura let out a deep breath. It was somewhere between a sigh and muted cry. “That was a little close, wasn’t it? I thought you were supposed to be keeping an eye on them.”
“Me?” He gave her a wicked grin. “I just assumed you had the situation well in hand.” He bent down to her feet and tugged on a knot.
“How did you know they were circling around?”
“I didn’t. I thought they’d gone back into the ship.”
“What made you change your mind?” Kura pulled out a foot, it was followed by her other. She turned her attention to the rope around his wrists.
“What would I do if I were them?”
“Try not to look too smug,” Kura said. “We still have a long way to go.” She clenched her teeth as she pulled. After a struggle, during which she grunted quietly, an end of the rope came free, and Adar pulled it off.
“Where’s Lars?”
“Bleeding Melyah!” Kura said. “How could I forget about him?”
“Bleeding Melyah, indeed,” Adar muttered as he looked at the turncoats. She had been loud enough that it drew the attention of the guards. They now looked straight back at them. Their eyes locked onto Adar as they brought up their blasters.
“Stay. Look captive.” Adar bolted around the far side of the ship. Blasts from the turncoats sizzled through the air in the spot where he’d been before, mere feet above Kura.
He chanced a glance back towards her and saw she’d done exactly as he said. From the corner of his eye, he saw one of the turncoats come into view and look down at her. After that, the ship was in the way, blocking Adar from seeing what happened next. She should be safe enough. He was yet to see a Hunwei or turncoat intentionally kill a woman.
The sound of boots clapping against the cobblestones came from ahead of his position.
The turncoats had split up.
Adar slid to a stop and examined the ship, wondering if he might be able to climb it. He discarded the idea almost immediately. There weren’t any handholds, and the shiny metal was slick to the touch.
He went to his knees, hoping to slide under, but there wasn’t room. Getting back to his feet, he ran forward. It was too bad he hadn’t thought to slip off his boots. That might have given him the option of coming around the corner without the turncoat knowing where he was.
The corner was five feet away when the turncoat appeared, blaster at the ready. Adar hunched forward and jumped, aiming for the man’s waist. The turncoat fired a blast that went across the back of Adar’s head, burning his hair and scalp.
An involuntary howl erupted from Adar’s throat as he pummeled into the turncoat who lost his balance but didn’t fall over.
Latching onto the blaster, Adar twisted it and used the butt of the weapon and his foot to leverage the turncoat off his feet. Unable to control the fall, Adar fell with the guard and tore the blaster away when they landed.
Surprised that the maneuver had worked, Adar sprung to his feet, put the barrel to the turncoat’s head and pulled the trigger. The man’s face disappeared into a bloody oblivion of bone and brain and blood.
&nb
sp; Footsteps came from behind. Adar swung around and aimed at the oncoming turncoat. When he pulled the trigger, nothing happened.
“Bleeding burning Melyah,” he said jumping to the side as the turncoat fired.
The blast barely missed Adar’s shoulder. He could feel the heat as it passed, leaving a burn mark on the outside of his jacket. He landed on the cobblestones with a pain jutting up through his elbow and side. At least, the ship was momentarily between him and the turncoat.
He was about to get to his feet when he noticed there was enough space between the ship and the ground for him to slip underneath. Without being conscious of the fact he had made a decision, he rolled in, stifling a yelp of pain as the burned back of his head rubbed up against the ground. He resisted the urged to feel if he had any hair left back there.
The black boots of the turncoat slowed before he got to the corner. Meanwhile, Adar continued to slither further back until he got to a point where he was in danger of becoming wedged in. Sweat broke out on his forehead, and his heart hammered away inside his chest. Breathing became a struggle. It was all he could do to keep from scurrying back out from underneath the tight spot.
The edges of his vision turned black. This is it, said a voice in the back of his head. This is how it ends. He pushed the thought away and focused on the feet of the turncoat.
There was an enemy to kill. He could do that. He had done it many times before.
All I have to do is wait, he thought.
He held his breath as the turncoat came around the corner. The boots hesitated, and Adar prayed the turncoat wouldn’t think to look underneath the ship. Adar wouldn’t be able to do anything from here.
When the boots continued moving, Adar let out a sigh of relief and wiggled forward, careful to avoid making noise as he did.
As he moved, he felt for a rock or for anything he would be able to use as a weapon. One of the cobblestones was loose, and he thought he might be able to pry it free but realized he didn’t have a good angle on it. He would never get it out in time. Biting off a curse, he inched forward until he was in a position where he could come out.