“So many people died today,” I whispered against his chest.
“They hurt you and would’ve killed you.” He lifted my chin with his thumb and I opened my eyes. “I’ll kill anyone with my bare hands that hurt you.” I stared at his exquisite face. I should have been filled with horror that he was prepared to kill for me, but instead I felt warmth in the pit of my stomach.
Gaios cleared his throat behind us. “We have to get going. The explosion would’ve been visible in Palasium and more soldiers will be on their way.” He smiled broadly. “I’ll enjoy another battle, but I think it’ll be better for her if we leave now.”
Chai sighed. “Gaios is right.” Chai stood lifting me in his arms as if I weighed next to nothing. He walked towards a truck idling next to the road.
“I can walk.” Chai gave me a small smile and I could see a twinkle returning to his eyes.
“I like carrying you,” he said as he carefully lifted me into the backseat of the truck. In a flash he was at the other side of the truck, climbing in.
“Wait! We have to find Emily. She’s out there all alone.”
“We already did,” Erich answered. He was in the back and a visibly shaken Emily sat next to him. Relief flooded me. Emily avoided looking at me, staring out the window, her tear streaked face grim. Gaios got in the driver’s seat and Arianna rode shotgun.
I shivered uncontrollably and I pulled my knees to my chin, hugging my legs to my chest. Chai carefully moved my hair back to examine the cut on my head. His brow furrowed and a muscle popped in his jaw.
“I told you it’s bad. She’ll need stitches,” Erich commented from the back.
Chai took a canteen and a rag of cloth from under his seat. He poured water on the rag and very gently began wiping the dried blood from my face. I winced as he touched my tender skin.
“I never should’ve left you last night. I should’ve taken you with me,” he said so softly that I barely heard him.
“It’s not your fault. Robert was…” I couldn’t think of him now or I would lose the last bit of whatever was holding me together. “If they caught us, you’d be dead now.”
I lifted a hand to wipe away a tear when I saw the metal bands on my wrists. Something snapped inside me. Revulsion filled me and I tried to claw off the Vandelrizi torture devices with my fingers, but they wouldn’t budge.
Chai caught my wrists and took a knife from his hip. He carefully used the knife to undo the clasps of the bands and they fell on my lap. I stared at them for a moment and then I snatched them and flung them out the truck window. Ugly red welts covered my wrists and I rubbed them with my fingertips.
My reflection in the rearview mirror caught my attention and I sharply sucked in my breath as I looked at myself. My hair was a wild tangled mess and dried blood was caked in the strands. My eyes were wide and frightened in a deathly pale face. A nasty blue and red bruise stretched around a deep cut on the left side of my head. A purple bruise covered my swollen cheek and blue and red fingermarks stretched across my throat. A lump formed in my throat and I turned my head away from the mirror. For the first time since last night I let my thoughts involuntarily drift to the horrendous events of the past hours. The oppressive weight was back, pressing down on my chest and my breathing sped up. Raw pain burst through me and I couldn’t keep it together anymore. I clamped a hand over my mouth to stop the wild sobbing coming from deep inside me. My insides were a raw mess of emotions.
“Chai!” Arianna warned as she leant over the front seat and studied me.
“I know! Chai snapped. He reached for me and pulled me closer to his chest. I grabbed a fistful of his shirt and clung to him, trying my best not to give in to the hysteria welling up in me. He held me close to him and I heard his voice echoing inside my head.
Close your eyes, little one. Go to sleep.
I was pulled into the abyss of darkness.
Chapter 6
Blinding light. It was the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes – a row of circular lights above me. My brain couldn’t comprehend where I was. The last thing I remembered…pain shot through me and I swallowed hard. I remembered being in the truck with Chai. Did I dream it? Had it all been a sick dream the Vandelrizi had conjured up to torture me? I turned my head to a rhythmic beeping noise next to me. Wires attached me to some kind of machine monitoring my heartbeat. The beeping sped up. I was lying on a bed surrounded by various machines and monitors. It wasn’t a big room. The walls as well as the floor were covered with white shiny metal strips. There were no windows. I tried to sit up and felt something tugging at my arm. A needle penetrated the skin of my arm. A narrow tube was attached to the needle and connected to a plastic bag containing a clear fluid hanging on a stand next to the bed. They were administering something to me through my veins.
I clutched the needle and ripped it from my arm, the translucent liquid spraying over the white sheet covering me.
“Slow down!” A woman stood on the other side of the bed. Her flaming red hair was short and framed her elven face in soft whips. Her amethyst eyes rested on my face. “You were a bit dehydrated. I’m replacing some of the lost fluids in your body.” I looked at her suspiciously. She seemed harmless, her face had a soft youthfulness to it, thought I suspected she was older than she looked. She picked up the needle lying on the bed and I looked at her hands. I shrieked. Her hands were webbed, like a frog. She wasn’t human.
Something stirred in the corner and I noticed Chai stretched out on a white arm chair. In one move, half asleep, Chai was at my side. He rubbed a fist over his face to wake himself up.
“You’re awake,” he said and I scooted over the bed towards him. If he was here, it meant I wasn’t in Cyrius being tortured by the Vandelrizi. I was somewhere else.
“She’s an …” I mumbled incoherently under my breath. Was I really going to tell the alien boy that this woman was not human? It sounded very silly.
“My name is Sylvain. You’re right, I’m not human. I’m Diviak,” she explained patiently. Another alien. How many of them were there?
“Where am I?” I asked bewildered. The room didn’t seem like it belonged in a rebel base camp.
“You’re in the infirmary. Sylvain is our doctor,” Chai said and sat down on the bed next to me, taking my hand in his. I liked the way mine disappeared in his.
“Bill will be thrilled that you’re awake. He can’t wait to meet you,” Sylvain said, her melodic voice reminded me of Christmas bells.
“Who’s Bill?”
“I see I’m right on time. I’m Bill. I’m the leader of the rebel base.” I turned and came face to face to a middle aged man dressed in a desert sand combat uniform. I remembered that soldiers in the army used to dress like that when they were fighting in the war against the Vandelrizi. He nodded at Chai and turned to me. Despite his age, he was very attractive with a lean body and tanned face. His dark hair was short and sprinkled with grey. Lively pale blue eyes regarded me intensely. I shifted uncomfortably under his intense scrutiny. The next moment he stepped forward and hugged me to his broad chest. It wasn’t what I expected and I didn’t know if I was supposed to hug him back or make a run for it. He let go and took a step back, looking embarrassed for a moment.
“I’m glad you are safe,” he said and gave me a self-conscious smile. He looked very familiar, but my weary brain couldn’t process where I’ve seen him before. He gave me a quick once over again. I wondered if he was always this touchy-feely with all the rebels here on the base. I always thought these military men were hardcore.
“What is the verdict Doc?” Bill asked and looked fondly at Sylvain. She blushed and I wondered if there was something going on between the two of them.
“I stitched the cut on her head. Quite a nasty one - needed seventeen stitches.” I touched my head self-consciously, running my fingertips over the rough edges of the stitches. “She doesn’t have any other serious injuries. A slight concussion and there’s no permanent damage to her throat or vocal cho
rds, and her voice should be back to normal in a couple of days. She has a lot of bruises, cuts and scrapes, but they will soon heal.”
It irritated me that she talked about me as if I wasn’t in the room. I was right here beside them. You couldn’t miss me. I was the girl that looked like Frankenstein.
“Physically she will be fine. But she needs a lot of rest. Her ordeal is a lot to work through, especially at her age.”
“I’m fine,” I said irritably. She made it sound as if I was unstable. I remembered the scene I made in the truck and the slobbering mess I was. Maybe they should think I’m unstable.
“I know you are, honey.” She smiled patiently at me again. “But you should take it easy.”
“She will,” Chai said firmly and gave me a concerned look. My irritation soared. I hated seeing the pity in their eyes and feeling this weak and vulnerable. I knew my irritation was fueled by the fatigue I felt. I didn’t know how long I’d been sleeping, but I still felt exhausted.
“Is it safe to come in?” Erich sauntered into the infirmary and gave a boyish grin.
“Perfectly safe. I promise not to lose it,” I said and gave an apologetic smile.
“That’s a relief,” Erich answered and chuckled at me. He whipped around and yelled out the door. “Hey you two! It’s safe to enter the dragons’ liar.” A smile tucked at my lips. Erich was one of those people you immediately liked, even if you had just met them. Arianna and Gaios strolled in and I was once again amazed at what a good looking pair they made. The small room was getting crowded.
“I’m sorry about last night. They doubled the guards in the city and there was no way I could get you out of there,” Erich said and rocked on the balls of his feet.
“You helped me…if you weren’t there last night…” My voice cracked and I turned my head away.
“If it wasn’t for Erich watching over you last night, Chai would’ve torn the city apart with his bare hands. I nearly had to knock him unconscious to stop him taking on the Vandelrizi single handedly,” Gaios said. I glanced at Chai. He kicked the chair next to the bed and sent it flying to Gaios who sidestepped it at the last moment and it crashed into the wall.
“As if you could stop me,” he mumbled and Gaios winked at me.
“Where are we? Where’s the rebel base?” I asked. Chai ran a hand through his hair and shot Bill a quick glance.
“We’re inside the mountain,” he answered. Again his eyes darted to Bill. There was something he wasn’t telling me.
“Inside the mountain? But I thought the base was near the jungle. I saw you driving into the jungle plenty of times.”
“We knew you were watching us, so we used the jungle as a diversion.”
“You knew?” I asked surprised. I had been so sure no one noticed me spying on the rebels. I had been so careful every time.
“Did you really think we weren’t aware of you watching us? It’s difficult not to notice a little girl crawling around in the middle of the desert. No offense, but you’re not a very good spy.” Chai grinned at me. “Bill decided it would be a good idea if I found out who you were.” Apparently I sucked at a lot of things.
“I didn’t know this place was inside the mountain. Did you build it?”
“Not exactly.” Once again he gave Bill a concerned look.
“Okay, spit it out. What aren’t you telling me?” I asked irritated. Chai was trying to keep something from me. He moved, his body tensing as if he was readying himself for something.
“I don’t want to scare you. A lot has happened to you. Maybe you should rest first.” He looked at me with a frown and it dawned on me that he thought I was going to freak out. I couldn’t blame him.
“Tell me. Please.”
“We’re inside the mountain. But we’re also on my ship, the TCS Dauphin.” I gawked at him. I opened and closed my mouth several times. Chai’s brow furrowed and he nervously looked at Sylvain, as if to tell her to get the tranquilizer ready.
“How?” I finally croaked. I was on an actual alien spaceship in a room with four aliens. This couldn’t get any weirder.
“We already had a base inside the mountain. We used the caves as a hiding place. When they found us, things were really bad. We were hunted by the Vandelrizi and the Scavengers. We were starving, had barely any weapons left. They were the miracle we prayed for,” Bill explained.
“But the ship’s inside the mountain?” I asked. It was really difficult to get my head around it. How many times had I travelled with Robert to Cyrius and had passed the mountain. Never in a gazillion years would I have thought that an alien spaceship was inside the mountain.
“It took some maneuvering, but we managed to hide the ship inside the mountain,” Chai said, still scrutinizing every passing emotion on my face.
“Stop looking at me as if I’m crazy,” I snapped at him. “I’m not. I just need a moment to process the fact that I’m in an alien spaceship with Wonder boy next to me, He-man and She-ra over there and Aquatic woman.” Erich doubled over laughing and Bill tried to hide his smile behind a hand, but his shoulders shook with laughter. Chai looked confused.
“Who’s He-man?” Gaios asked and Erich laughed even louder, wiping tears from his eyes.
“Why is he Wonder boy and I’m She-ra?” Arianna pouted and whipped her hair across her shoulder.
“She-ra is a kick-ass sexy warrior. Wonder boy is kinda geeky,” Erich said and a smile tucked at my lips. Chai raised his eyebrows at me. I didn’t think anybody dared calling him geeky before. Arianna looked please and stuck out her tongue cheekily at Erich.
“Why’re you helping us?” I asked. Why would any other alien race even care what happens on earth? Until seven years ago we didn’t even know if there were any other living creatures in the universe and now there were two alien races on earth.
“We’re peace keeping soldiers for the Concillium Elnath. It’s an intergalactic council with its members from different planets. When atrocities happen in the universe, we’re the guys send to fix it,” Chai explained.
“The Concillium is like NATO?” I asked and Chai looked confused. He obviously had never heard of NATO before.
“Yip, they’re like NATO. They come to clean up the shit when it happens,” Erich answered. Bill gave him a disapproving look and Erich shrugged.
“Why now?” I frowned. “Why not help seven years ago when the Vandelrizi first invaded earth? Billions of people died and earth…it’ll never be the same.”
“The Concillium can’t declare war on any planet straight away. There is a diplomatic channel that has to be followed first and then they still need the go-ahead from all the planets before they can intercede.” Chai looked grim. “It isn’t a perfect system. Earth is not the only planet they invaded, the council couldn’t ignore the threat any longer.”
“We’re here to help and prepare the humans until our fleet arrives. The largest portion is on their way to the Vargon, but the rest is on their way to earth.” Gaios added.
“That would explain why most of the Vandelrizi have returned to their ships.
“They know we declared war,” Gaios remarked. “We’ve been watching their movements closely and most of their ships left earth’s atmosphere in the past weeks. They’re returning to their planet. Like us, they’re preparing for war.”
I couldn’t believe it. Help were on its way. Bill was right – our prayers were answered. But it was too late to save the human race from extinction. We might survive, but our race will end with us. As long as there are no babies born, we would reach extinction in the not so far future.
I was still wearing the tunic from Palasium, but it wasn’t white anymore, more of a brown color. I was filthy and my clothes were torn in several places. I remembered the dry blood caked in my hair and I shuddered.
“I’m fine, so there’s no need for me to stay in the infirmary. And I need a shower.” I gave Sylvain a pleading look.
“I don’t know. I’d like to keep an eye on you.” Sylvain wa
s torn in two and she pressed her lips together.
“She can stay with me. I’ll look after her,” Chai reassured her and my stomach fluttered. “Tomorrow we’ll find her a room.”
“That’s not a good idea,” Bill said grimly and crossed his arms over his chest. I was surprised at his reaction. Why would he care if Chai and I shared a room?
“Relax Dad!” Erich said and punched Bill in the arm. “You know the Epsilon traditions. She’s safe with him.” I didn’t have a clue what the Epsilon were and what their traditions were, but I realized that Erich was Bill’s son. I didn’t know why I hadn’t seen it before – they had the same pale blue eyes, the same demeanor and body language, both had the same calm, laid back manner.
Bill still didn’t look happy, but he didn’t protest again and shortly after excused himself. Erich left with him.
Chai helped me off the bed and took my hand and I was glad for the warmth of it. There were no windows and I had no idea what time of day it was. I felt cold, the material of the tunic too thin to keep me warm.
“I’ll find you something to wear,” Arianna said excitedly, but then she cocked her head to one side. “But it may be difficult to find clothes for such a puny little thing.” I pulled a face at her and she laughed loudly. Gaios shook his head and followed her as she left, still laughing.
Chai led me through a myriad of corridors, giving me a detailed description of the rooms we passed, but I didn’t listen to a word he was saying. My body ached for a bed and I was near collapsing of exhaustion. I felt like I could sleep for days.
He pressed a button on a silver console next to a door and it silently slid open leading into a tiny room. A double bed nearly took up all the space, leaving little room for the small table in the corner. I ran my fingers over the shiny white wall, not sure anymore if it was made from metal or a kind of plastic material. The ceiling of the room was covered with the same material and in the middle was a circular light. It was a very sterile windowless room. A door next to the right hand side of the bed led to a small bathroom. I stood next to the bed nervously. Chai watched me and frowned.
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