by Roxie Ray
Sophia pushed her hand out to stop me from continuing. “Wait, I can hear someone coming.”
I pulled at Sophia’s arm. “Let’s go back the way we came,” I suggested in panic.
“It’s too late, they’ll see —”
“Hello, ladies,” Mored said, as the circular corner came up to meet us. “We’ve been looking for you. Escape pods malfunctioned, huh? How unfortunate.”
I wanted to growl in the same threatening way that I had seen Quatix do a dozen times before, but fear was choking me. The two of us were no match for these massive aliens. Even without their powers, their strength eclipsed ours tenfold. And yet, my hand wrapped around my blaster gun and my shield came up in front of my chest. Just because I knew I would lose, didn’t mean I wasn’t going to still fight.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Mored asked, eyeing the blaster gun in my hand.
I gritted my teeth and pulled the trigger. The bullet landed on his stomach, but it dissipated with no real impact. I fired again. The same thing happened. I fired again.
Sophia looked at me nervously. “Rosa,” she whispered. “It’s pointless.”
“You have your dagger on you?” I asked.
Sophia frowned. “Yes, but —”
“Good, be prepared to use it,” I said firmly.
Mored looked at me with amusement. “You’re really going to fight us?” he asked, glancing behind him at the two Xehrulians at his back.
“Yes.”
Mored smiled. “I like you.”
“I wish I could say the same,” I growled at him.
Then I ran forward, keeping my gun at the ready. I heard Sophia scream my name, but I ignored her. I was counting on the blaster gun to have some sort of impact up close. I was standing right in front of Mored, and he was looking down at me with a condescending smile on his lips.
“Fuck you!” I screamed as I raised the gun up to his exposed face.
Fear and panic crashed over his eyes as he realized what I was about to do. But before he could move, I had already pulled the trigger. The blaster bullet tore right into that frozen smile of his and blasted him apart. His body fell to the floor, headless and dead.
The moment of satisfaction I felt was short-lived, because the two Xehrulians behind Mored jumped into action, their expressions turning black. I saw one of the aliens pull out a small rod that looked like it held lightning. He pointed it at me, and pain shot through my extremities like fire burning through skin.
My eyes closed without my permission, and I fell to the floor, losing myself to darkness.
18
Quatix
The scent of wine permeated the walls of the cellar. The two Xehrulians guarding me had already shared three bottles between them.
“That bottle is nearly three hundred years old,” I growled at them.
“Wine fit for a king,” the larger Xehrulian replied, and he took another swig.
I kept my ears peeled for the sound of approaching footsteps, but all I could hear were the grunts and burps of my two moronic guards. I had been bound to one of the cellars chairs with rope steel. It had no give, and my muscles were already cramping uncomfortably.
That was nothing compared to the deep and adamant weight upon my chest. Where was Rosa? Had Comadin managed to get her out in time? Was she in one of the escape pods now, waiting to be rescued? I felt like my head was going to explode from the uncertainty. Perhaps this was the reason so many Svantians chose to refrain from mating. The fear of knowing you had something to lose made every breath painful.
I had been imprisoned in my own cellar for nearly an hour now. I didn’t know where my protectors were or why the Sives had chosen to keep me on the Zernike, but I decided it was a good thing. I didn’t plan on staying in my chains for long, and when I broke free, it would be easier to maneuver in familiar territory.
Of course, I had been stripped of my armor and my weapons, but I would not let that stop me. I would just have to get out of this the old fashioned way.
I heard coming footsteps before my Xehrulian guards did. I tensed instantly, my mind opening up, preparing for another mental tug of war. I would not be so easily tamed this time.
My guards realized someone was coming a few moments before the door was pushed open. The shorter Xehrulian shoved the pitcher of wine he was holding back onto a random shelf and stood at attention.
The creature that walked through the door had slippery, smooth skin and scales of black and green, but I recognized him from the large and prominent scar that dominated the right side of his face.
“Bis’er,” I growled.
“Ah, Quatix,” Bis’er said in a low voice. “My old friend.”
“We were never friends.”
“You might regret saying that later.” Bis’er smiled.
He glanced back at the Xehrulians, and they rushed to find him a seat. They settled for a wine barrel with black markings and placed it directly in front of me. Bis’er sat down heavily and looked at me with interest.
“It has been a long time, Quatix.”
I flexed my muscles, but the steel rope only seemed to tighten around my wrists. The chair I was sitting on was sturdy, but with a little force I realized I might be able to break away from it. That was the only chance I had.
“Where are my protectors?” I demanded, uninterested in the small talk.
“They’re being held,” Bis’er said with a shrug. “I haven’t decided how to kill them yet.”
I growled. “I took you for a thief, not a murderer.”
“I am whatever I need to be,” Bis’er replied calmly. “To be honest, I have always felt the Sives could be so much more than just an outlaw pirate gang. It has the potential to be so much more, and under my command it will be.”
“The Sives are an unruly bunch of miscreants,” I spat. “You may be able to control them for a short time, but it won’t last.”
“On the contrary, I think it will. All they needed was a strong leader, one who had a vision.”
“A vision?” I repeated incredulously. “Is that right?”
“Think about it, Quatix,” Bis’er said, with a familiarity I cringed against. “We are a group that is made up of all the major species in the galaxy. Together we have super strength, speed, elemental powers, psychic abilities, and more. Can you imagine what that kind of power could do?”
His tone was light and conversational, but that was part of Bis’er’s deadliness. He was not like the commanders who had ruled the Sives before him. He was intelligent, and worst of all — he was cunning. He had the charisma and charm to woo aliens to his cause, and he had the sadistic nature to see it through no matter the cost.
He was narrating his vision to me like it was a bedtime story, but I could sense the threat underneath it all. He was warning me against moving against him. He was telling me to cooperate. That little comment he had made about not having decided how to kill my protectors had been a promise.
“That power is made up of many different parts,” I said. “You cannot hope to keep them all contained. Sooner or later, it will erupt into chaos.”
“Chaos?” Bis’er repeated. He sounded delighted that I had led him here. “Chaos has always been my greatest friend. I have understood it in a way no one else has. I was born into the chaos of a broken home. I was left for dead and survived the odds. I grew within the atmosphere of thirty-four different planets. I stole, cheated, lied, and killed for what I needed. I have always thrived on chaos.
“So it strikes me as ironic that you would have possession of the most powerful creatures of chaos our galaxy has ever seen. It seems almost… unfair.”
I narrowed my eyes. “The Gnosees are not mine to control or command,” I said. “They are mine to protect.”
“See?” Bis’er said pleasantly. “They are wasted on you. They are wasted on that insignificant planet you call home. They’re magic is squelched there, they cannot do what they were born to do.”
“You are r
aving,” I hissed. “You will never get your hands on those creatures. They belong to Svante.”
“You don’t understand,” Bis’er said as he leaned back on the barrel. In the darkness, the green of his scales shimmered like a thousand different eyes, all watching me with naked greed. “The hard part is over, my friend. I have the most precious weapon of all: I have the vuter.”
I had suspected as much, but the confirmation still brought a sweeping cold over my body. We were too late. I had failed my people. I had failed my planet. Disappointment burned hot inside me, but I refused to let it show. I would not let Bis’er see my fear.
“The vuter is worthless without the Gnosees,” I said. “And you will never get your hands on them.”
Bis’er smiled. “I beg to differ. I think that will be the easiest part of this process. Do you know why?”
“I don’t care.”
“You’re going to tell me yourself.”
“You are a fool. I will never part with that information,” I promised.
“Even at the expense of your protectors?” Bis’er asked, raising an eyebrow at me.
I had expected that, too, and I had my answer prepared. “My protectors were named for good reason. They will do whatever it takes to protect their planet, even if it means laying down their own lives. Tell me, Bis’er, would your men do the same?”
Bis’er shrugged. “Most would not,” he admitted freely. “But loyalty is overrated. Loyal men die too soon. Take your protectors for example. When I walk out of here, I will give the order for their bodies to be thrown into the great obsidian. How long do you think it will take before space chokes the life from them? Seven minutes, perhaps longer? It will be a painful death. Would you really do that to your brothers in arms, King Quatix.”
“You would kill them all for one piece of information?” I asked.
“I would kill whole planets to get what I want,” Bis’er said, his eyes flashing with dangerous purpose. “That is what makes me strong. I am not bound by love or loyalty. I have nothing to lose. But you do.”
“There is more at stake than just my planet,” I replied. “There is more at stake than just my people. Do what you will — I will not give you the location of the Gnosees.”
Bis’er’s expression changed instantly. The smile slid off his face, and his features hardened to stone. Mana were small creatures, as small as humans, but there was a feral menace about them that made them seem larger than they were.
“Then I will have to force it out of you,” Bis’er said, as he stood.
He stood a step forward, and I felt the prick of an invading force in my head. It was subtle at first, a tiny uncomfortably pang that hurt for a second and then disappeared. But it grew more insistent until it was a full-blown pain that required all my attention.
I gritted my teeth and raised the barriers of my mind. I had been preparing for this ever since Philzar had turned his mind-bending talents on me. He had been able to ignite pain inside my head, but my thoughts were sealed away in a separate vault. He hadn’t been able to get close to them and neither would Bis’er.
I could feel him trying to push against my barriers; it almost felt like his scaled fingers were reaching out and trying to grab at my thoughts. I felt sweat dot my forehead as I forced him out with a final, breathy thrust.
Bis’er grunted low as I succeeded in expelling him from my mind. I studied Bis’er face for fury, but it was overrun with fatigue. Trying to invade anyone’s thoughts was a strenuous business, but it was particularly difficult when that person had defenses built up.
This time it was my turn to smile. “You cannot have my thoughts,” I told him.
“You really want to be responsible for the death of your protectors?”
“Sometimes a king has to make difficult decisions,” I replied, sensing that he was bluffing. “They would not want me to hand over this information for their lives.”
Bis’er’s calm demeanor was fading a little. His eyes glinted sharply as he straightened up.
“Okon,” addressing one of the two Xehrulians behind him.
Wordlessly, the taller of the two aliens came forward and slipped a lightning thrower into Bis’er’s hand. I cringed internally. I had experienced the sting of lightning throwers before. It was a different kind of pain, the kind of pain that made you want to rip your skin off to try and escape it.
I gritted my teeth together and prepared myself for the onslaught. Bis’er pressed a small button in the corner and the thrower lit up immediately as waves of blue currents flowed over the luminescent surface. He reached out and jammed it to the side of my torso. The pain sent my body into convulsions, and I fell back on my chair.
I heard Bis’er’s slow, manic laugh, and then he held the thrower to my legs. This time, I felt the chair break underneath me. My hands were still tied behind my back, but I realized that the thrower was actually causing the steel chain to loosen somewhat. It certainly had more give.
The third time Bis’er struck me with the lightning thrower I roared with pain, unable to bite my tongue. Bis’er’s life was sadistic and filled with glee. My eyes stung with spots of light, and it took a long time before the world became clear again.
“Did that loosen your tongue, oh mighty King?”
I spat at his feet. “You’ll have to kill me.”
Bis’er’s scales shimmered with suppressed rage. He took a deep breath. “Why do you have to make this so difficult?”
He was about to take the lightning thrower to me again when the door burst open. One of his minions stood in the threshold, bathed in artificial light.
“King Bis’er —”
“What?” Bis’er roared. “I’m in the middle of —”
“We have a problem,” the blue-scaled Mana said, cutting him off urgently despite the latent fear in his eyes.
Bis’er walked to the door, and the two exchanged hurried words. I tried to listen in, but the blood was rushing fast to my head and their whispers were too distant to catch.
“Fools,” I heard Bis’er spit.
Then he slammed the door shut on his minion and turned back to me. He was trying to portray an aura of calm, but I could tell that something had him rattled. A distant noise caught my attention, and it sounded like there was a fight happening somewhere on the other end of the Zernike. Was it possible my protectors were not contained like Bis’er had claimed they were?
“It seems our time together is coming to a close,” Bis’er said. “I must take my leave soon. As much as I would love to stay and torture you a little more, there is work to be done.”
“You still don’t have the location of the Gnosees,” I pointed out.
“Oh, but I will,” Bis’er said confidently. “And your pathetic little planet is unguarded at the moment. It is ripe for the plucking.”
“And how do you plan on getting the information you need?” I asked, a smile playing on my face.
“Oh, I thought I’d ask your lovely new queen,” Bis’er said, turning his cruel eyes on me.
I felt the smile die on my face instantly. Rosa — did he have Rosa? I had been working under the assumption that she and Comadin had gotten off the Zernike, but what if I was mistaken? I wanted to roar with fury. Suddenly, the steep rope that held my hands back felt as flimsy as paper.
“Ah, you do care about your new queen,” Bis’er said with a satisfied nod. “Is it possible that you love her?”
“She’s not on the Zernike,” I said, panicking. “She got off.”
“She tried.” Bis’er smiled, and calm settled back into his stance. “But I gave my men specific instructions. They were to infiltrate the ship and destroy the escape pods. She had no way of leaving.”
I wanted to roar with fury. I didn’t want to believe him, but this time I knew he wasn’t bluffing.
“I think I’ll go pay the Earthling queen a visit before I leave,” Bis’er said. “You had your chance to give me what I wanted. Now your mate will have to do what you woul
d not.”
He turned and walked to the door. I lay on the floor, writhing with fury. “I will kill you,” I screamed. “I swear to the heavens, I will kill you in the most painful possible way if you lay a hand on her.”
All I heard of Bis’er was his gloating laughter as he shut the door on me, leaving me in the care of his Xehrulian guards.
I felt my rage and my fear join together, giving me the strength I needed to overcome the steel chains that bound me. I ripped my hands apart and felt the steel shatter, and then I got to my feet, breathing heavily as my eyes zeroed in on the two tipsy Xehrulians in front of me.
They froze as they caught sight of me, free from my chains, with murder in my eyes. They hadn’t counted on fighting me at all, and now I was glad they had enjoyed so much of my wine.
The big Xehrulian looked at me with naked fear. “Oh, fuck.”
19
Rosa
I came to in a dark space that I recognized moments later were the servants’ quarters on board the Zernike; Comadin and I had passed through these rooms on our failed attempt to get to the escape pods.
I was lying on my side with my hands tied behind my back, but apart from that mild discomfort, I didn’t feel any different. I shuffled upright and looked around as my eyes adjusted to the subdued light. My foot hit something soft and I gasped, my mind jumping to worse case scenario.
I froze when I realized that I was lying next to a body. I felt my heartbeat race upwards, but then the person next to me moaned uncomfortably in unconsciousness, and I realized I knew this person.
“Oh my God,” I breathed. “Sophia?”
I adjusted my position so that I could make out her face. She was lying on the cold floor with her feet pushed up against me. Her face lay against what felt like icy cement and I could see only one eye that was sealed shut.