Hell to Pay: Book Two of the Harvesters Series

by Luke R. Mitchell

  They kept moving up the boarding ramp, and then Al was gaining altitude, hovering back toward the alien ship that had delivered their reinforcements.

  Jarek realized with a jolt that Redhead Rambo—Johnny, was it?—was laid out on the cot. Lea, hovering over him, must have dragged the guy in with Alaric’s help. They were at least twenty feet up when something landed on the boarding ramp with a light thunk.

  Jarek spun, sword ready, to find Haldin prowling up the ramp. He glanced past Jarek at Johnny, then turned back toward the alien ship, where Alton and Elise had paused at the entry hatch.

  Haldin made a skyward gesture, and Jarek got the impression there was communication happening that he wasn’t privy to. Whatever it was, Elise and Alton looked less than happy about it as they ducked into the alien ship to escape the incoming enemy fire.

  “Mind if we join you?” Haldin called over his shoulder.

  The frequency of the bullets slamming into their hull eliminated any room to discuss the matter.

  “Go, Al,” Jarek said. “Get us out of here.”

  Al obliged, and Haldin hustled the rest of the way up the boarding ramp as it began to raise.

  The cracks and dings of gunfire dulled marginally as the ramp sealed with a hum and a click and then faded off as Al guided the ship up and away. They hurried up to the cockpit to look through the cracked, bullet-riddled windshield as the alien ship rose beside them and jetted off to the east.

  Al pointed them north and likewise gunned it, offering their soon-to-be pursuers the debate of deciding which ship to follow.

  No one spoke for several minutes as Al took them through a series of course and elevation changes.

  Finally, when it was clear they’d left their pursuit behind, the tension began to melt, and Jarek’s single-minded battle-high relinquished control back to the ocean of questions swirling through the back of his mind.

  Rachel collapsed into the copilot’s chair, clearly exhausted and probably still in emotional shock from everything they’d just learned. Jarek gave the top of her head an affectionate pat, earning himself a tired glare.

  He felt for her. The raknoth, this freaking blood curse business … It was a weird enough lot to process even without the added family baggage—and that wasn’t even to mention the ominous matter of rakul.

  It was starting to look like a good thing he’d decided to stick around after all.

  And lucky for them, they’d just gained a new crew member who seemed to know a whole hell of a lot about all of this.

  “Well then.” Jarek slid his faceplate open and turned to meet Haldin’s weary gaze. “Welcome aboard, Pretty Boy.”

  Fifteen

  “You’re sure he’s okay?” Elise asked, her concern showing even on the cockpit console’s jittery holo.

  Rachel looked back along with Jarek and Haldin, all of them craning their necks to peek at Johnny on the cot in the back cabin.

  “Are you kidding me?” Haldin said. “I’m pretty sure this is one of his fantasies. He’s probably having the time of his life.”

  Lea looked up from tending to Johnny long enough to cock an eyebrow at that.

  Rachel couldn’t see Johnny from where she was sitting, but she thought she heard him mumble something about beautiful women, and then a hand drifted into sight to give a thumbs-up.

  Wonderful. Somehow they’d managed to pick up another Jarek. She shook her head and turned back to the holo.

  “You’re sure you’re okay?” Haldin said. “And everyone else?”

  Elise gave her own thumbs-up. “No casualties. Aside from Alton’s pride, maybe.”

  “Yeah,” Haldin said. “Well, that Zar wasn’t exactly a lightweight.”

  “Zar’Golga,” said a voice off screen. “Second eldest of the three Zars on Earth, assuming nothing’s changed since we left. I believe he’s the one who’s taken to calling himself the Overlord.”

  Alton came into view looking mostly human once again and in a foul mood. Coincidentally, seeing him immediately fouled Rachel’s mood too after everything she’d learned about her mom and the attack on her family.

  “That was the Overlord?” Jarek asked from the pilot’s seat next to Rachel. “Huh. He was kind of a dick. But that seems to be a common theme with you guys. Also, Zars?”

  “It’s kind of like a raknoth social rank,” Haldin said. “The lowest and youngest is Nan, then comes Al, then Zar.”

  “How about we skip the sociology lesson and get to brass tacks,” Alaric said from the doorway behind.

  He didn’t look good, which was more than fair considering he’d just shot his own son in both legs and knocked him out with the butt of his gun.

  Mosen was securely bound and dosed up with some tranquilizer in the back now. Rachel didn’t know the first thing about having kids, but she’d be surprised if Alaric was managing to fly very high above the sanity line right now. That being said, he had a valid point.

  After they’d managed to convince themselves they’d left any pursuit far behind, both ships had landed in separate locations to touch base and come up with a plan, and so far, that plan was sorely lacking.

  “I think that’s a wonderful idea,” Jarek said. “Let’s start with the basics. Like who the hell are you people?”

  Haldin studied Jarek uncertainly.

  “I think we’re well past the need for secrecy,” Alton said.

  “Right,” Haldin said. “We’re, uh, Enochians, I guess you’d say.”

  Enochians? What the hell did that mean? Unless … No. That was crazy.

  “Yeah,” Jarek said. “Care to point that motherland out on the map?”

  All at once, several tiny details clicked into place and drew Rachel to an impossible conclusion.

  “Yeah …” Haldin scrunched his eyes. “We might need a bigger map for that.”

  It couldn’t be.

  That Alton had confirmed the raknoth to be otherworldly hadn’t been such a shock. As far-fetched as scaly freaking space vampires had sounded just a few weeks earlier, it wasn’t such a hard pill to swallow after seeing the raknoth in action.

  Haldin on the other hand … Sure, he’d said plenty of odd things. And she had more than a few questions about how exactly he’d come to team up with Alton.

  But a freaking alien?

  It didn’t seem possible. But it was. Somehow, she was suddenly sure of it.

  “So,” Jarek said slowly, “you’re saying you’re not from around here, then?”

  “That’s one way of putting it,” Haldin said.

  “Greetings, Earthlings,” Johnny called from the back cabin in a strained voice.

  Haldin fought a smile. “And that’s the other way. He’s been, uh, ‘chomping at the bit,’ I think it is, to use that one. Although we were kinda hoping for different circumstances.”

  “I take what I can get,” Johnny called.

  Haldin’s gaze turned to Rachel, and she realized she was still staring at him like he was … well, like he was a freaking alien.

  “Dude, what the …? How is that …?”

  Haldin held up his hands in a gesture that said I know, right?

  “So, Enochians,” Jarek said. “As in those from Enochia? Is that a planet?”

  Rachel finally managed to turn her stare on Jarek.

  Why was his jaw not on the floor along with the rest of theirs?

  Jarek met her stare and shrugged. “What? You know I love the Wars.”

  He said it as if the statement somehow fully explained his calm collectedness.

  “Yeah, but—Never mind.” She looked back to Haldin. “Is he right? You’re from—”

  “Enochia,” Haldin said, nodding. “Or at least, that’s what we called it. It’s pretty similar to Earth, actually.”

  “Super convenient,” Jarek said as if he were agreeing on something as pedestrian as the features that made for a good summer vacation spot.

  “How … Where is it?” Rachel asked.

  “About 70,000 light years
across your Milky Way galaxy,” Alton said from the console holo.

  “Oooh,” Jarek said. “Yeah, I’ve never been out that way. Explains that.”

  Lea emerged from the rear cabin looking incredulous. Even Alaric looked highly surprised, which were two words Rachel had never thought to attribute to the stoic Resistance fighter. Then again, as far as reasons to be surprised went, this one probably belonged around the top of the list.

  When Haldin and Alton had first said something about coming “here” to help, she’d thought they meant coming to the freaking Americas or something.

  “Okay,” she said finally. “Aliens. Check. But you seem, uh, human. More than Alton does, at least.” Her stomach turned as a disturbing thought occurred to her. “Are all of you like me?”

  Haldin looked confused for a moment, but then understanding dawned in his eyes, and he shook his head. “No, very few Enochians are Shapers like you and I. And yes, we’re human.”

  Shapers? That must be their word for arcanism. Or maybe it was an entirely different art, despite looking and feeling the same. The distinction didn’t seem as important at the moment as some of the more basic questions like, for instance, how the hell there were humans on another planet halfway across the galaxy.

  She was about to ask when Haldin added, “Our ancestors apparently came from Earth.”

  Surprise finally registered in Jarek’s expression. Better late than never.

  “Okay,” he said, “well that’s pretty mind-fucking.”

  “Right?” Johnny called from the back cabin.

  Lea glanced back and began to protest about something.

  “I’m all good.” Johnny’s voice was closer now. “Promise.”

  He appeared in the doorway a second later, his hair looking all the redder for the pallor of his face, which was clearly not all good.

  “Just a few cracked ribs, I think,” he added. “No reason to be a little girl about it.” His eyes shot from Lea to Rachel to Elise on the holo. “No offense to our fierce tribe of warrior ladies, of course.”

  Rachel and Lea—and, Rachel had a feeling, Elise behind them—followed Johnny with critical stares as he sidled over and plopped down on one of the cockpit benches. “I’ll just sit here then.”

  “So I don’t get it,” Jarek said. “What are you doing here, then? You have raknoth on your planet too?”

  “There were seven of them.” Haldin looked over at Alton’s holo. “Only one left now.”

  “Does that come in non-vague speak?” Jarek asked.

  “I got this,” Johnny said, having regained a few shades of life in his pale face. “Check it out. So, basically, when shit was getting hairy here on Earth, Alton’s old clan leader led his flock over to Enochia, where the raknoth had apparently stashed a bunch of humans like 1,500 years earlier for sport or whatever—fucked up, I know. Anyway, the seven who made it to Enochia went to work doing their thing. Infiltrating the world order, building an army of hybrids to replace their lost kin, cultivating the human population like livestock for blood to feed said army, you know how it goes.”

  “Sure, sure,” Jarek said, though his intrigue was apparent enough past his casual tone.

  “So, long story short,” Johnny continued, “Hal and his mentor Carlisle caught onto the raknoth presence the hard way, got branded as terrorists trying to stop them, and basically kept kicking asses until Enochia got its collective shit together and helped finish the job. Once things were under control there and Alton had explained everything to us in full, we all signed up to fly across the galaxy and put an end to this crap before another army of raknoth or, worse, rakul decided to roll up on Enochia.”

  They all processed that in silence for a long handful of moments. It was preposterous. Outlandish. And yet …

  Jesus. What had happened to the days when all they had to worry about were violent marauders?

  “In other words,” Alton finally said, “we were forthright about our intentions here from the start. Our two peoples share two common problems, and we came to address both of them.”

  “The blood,” Rachel said.

  “And the rakul,” Lea added.

  Alton gave a solemn nod. “But if the latter are already coming, I’m not sure what hope we have.”

  “What’s the big deal?” Rachel asked. “You guys are bulletproof and stronger than anything on the planet. What could possibly be so bad about these rakul that you’re all afraid of them?”

  Alton showed them a mirthless smile. “The rakul, as far as we know, are the most powerful beings in the universe. They are the masters, the harvesters who reap what the raknoth sow.”

  “So, not good?” Jarek asked.

  “Totally not good,” Johnny agreed.

  Alton pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes shut in irritation.

  “The raknoth we tried to interrogate,” Rachel said, “the Red King—he mentioned something about retribution, more than once.”

  “They will visit that and much more on this planet,” Alton said. “And likely soon if what you say is true.”

  “But why?” Rachel said. “Why are they coming here? What did we do?”

  “You,” Alton said, “like so many species before you, have done nothing to deserve their attention. It is simply their nature to hunt and destroy. My kin and I, on the other hand, will have surely earned their fury once the messengers find them.”

  “What did you do?” Jarek asked.

  Alton’s expression soured. “We simply tried to live free from their reign. For millennia, my people have served the rakul. We have sought new places, new species, fresh prey throughout the universe, and we have cultivated them until they might prove a satisfactory hunt for the masters.”

  “Huh,” Jarek said. “Well that’s—”

  “Fucked up?” Johnny asked.

  “Yeah, that.” Jarek looked back at Alton. “So what? You guys tried to make a run for it and stay on Earth, or Enochia?”

  “We didn’t have a choice after the sickness hit us. Our lives are tied to the fate of you and your planet now. If you die, we die.”

  “And that doesn’t give us all a free pass with these masters of yours?” Jarek asked.

  Alton shook his head. “There are plenty more raknoth across the universe who do not share our affliction. Even if we’d been honest all along, the rakul would not deny themselves a hunt and risk infecting our entire species only to spare a few dozen raknoth. Of course, now they will certainly kill us for having tried to conceal our continued existence on Earth from them, but we’ve likely only accelerated the inevitable.”

  Why couldn’t the big bad aliens be on an intergalactic quest for hugs or something? But then they wouldn’t be big bad aliens, would they?

  “Man,” Jarek said. “You guys need to unionize or something.”

  “This is no laughing matter,” Alton said. “If a nest has been compromised, then the rakul will be coming. It could be next week or next year, but they will come, and they will destroy everything on this planet.”

  Jarek met Rachel’s eyes, and somewhere beneath that practiced cavalier expression of his, there was concern and a deep weariness.

  “What are we talking about in terms of numbers?” Rachel asked. “The rakul can’t be that much stronger than your people, can they?”

  Haldin and Alton exchanged a heavy look through the holo.

  “There are twelve of them,” Haldin said. “And they’re pretty terrifying.”

  “You could show her,” Alton said.

  Haldin shot Rachel a questioning look and tapped the side of his head. “You comfortable with that?”

  A trill of apprehension shot through her chest, unbidden and unpleasant memories of her telepathic struggle with the Red King leaping to the forefront of her mind.

  She most certainly wasn’t comfortable with that. Jarek spoke up before she had to say that, though.

  “You guys can’t just use your words and tell the whole class?”

  �
�Oh there are plenty of words,” Alton said. “‘World’ and ‘ending’ are two that come to mind. The twelve run the gamut from older and stronger than any living raknoth to absolutely ancient and quite possibly unstoppable. None of you will truly understand until you see them. And right now, Rachel is the only one in that ship who’s equipped to do so.”

  “And what if I don’t want to?” Rachel asked. “What if I’m hesitant to cross minds with an associate of the raknoth who helped destroy my family and doesn’t seem to give a damn about my friends now?”

  Haldin’s brow creased. “I’m the one who’s offering you free access here.”

  “So you say,” Rachel said.

  In truth, she didn’t see any real reason not to believe Haldin. It was Alton she couldn’t trust.

  If these rakul were real—and it was really starting to seem like they might be—they needed to find out anything and everything they could about them. But now that she’d put it out there, she wasn’t about to back down and pretend like Alton hadn’t done the things he’d done. No answers were worth swallowing that pill whole.

  So she let the tense silence stretch in the cockpit, refusing to take the bait.

  “Your friend,” Alton finally said. “The one who was affected by the nest burst. I did not intend to imply his life is unimportant.”

  She tried to hide her surprise at his acuity. Was she that transparent that he could see exactly which button to press to try to make this better? Maybe.

  Or maybe Alton actually meant it.

  “It’s my brother,” Rachel said slowly. “The—whatever, the nest burst—it put him into a coma.”

  Alton seemed to think about that. “I could see where that might happen, especially if he doesn’t share your telepathic gifts.”

  “He doesn’t. But he’s heavily glyphed against telepathic influence. You’re saying something got through those glyphs? That it was a telepathic attack that did this to him?”

  “Not an attack,” Alton said. “Probably more like an accidental overload. The messengers are not violent beings. They simply convey information over great distances.”

  “That’s what that light was?” she asked. “These messenger things?”