Chapter Eight: The Wormhole
Kia slept like a babe and made it to the communal room in time to catch Navagi’s instructions.
“We enter the wormhole today. Remember to eat a light breakfast—”
“Or none,” someone cracked, and a ripple of laughter followed.
“Or none, as you prefer,” Nagavi continued with a slight grin at the morning meeting. “There’s no lunch, rest this afternoon, and I’ll be along to administer your dose of seds this evening. Questions? Nope? Okay, dismissed.”
As she slid into her seat, a vague memory of gas hissing and watching her fellow prisoners surfaced, and she remembered the lad’s face she’d traveled with from Emankora but not his name. She wondered where he was and whether he was alive. Hopefully whatever method of sedation the Chenjerai used was kinder because the same post-gas confusion would be dangerous exiting a wormhole.
Rial pushed his chair back and stood up to leave. “What will you do this morning?” he asked her.
Something to keep my mind from fretting, she thought. “Maybe workout to ease the jitters?”
“Good. Come and see me after in the command center.”
The gymnasium was full, and the small space reeked of the tart odor of sweat and adrenaline. Kia was gratified to discover a lot of people needed to occupy themselves with physical activity.
Toinen was teaching a wrestling class and taking on opponents one at a time.
Kia slid in, nodded to the others, and studied Toinen’s holds as she waited her turn. She recognized most of the guards apart from the few names she repeatedly forgot. Oloran’s attack had taught her that the more adept she became at fighting, the more her chances of staying alive and safe increased. Jalux aside, killing in self-defense, as when Rial had been attacked returning from Djem, didn’t bother her as much as it would have in her former life. This was a kill or be killed world.
More than once since arriving at Rial’s palace, she'd thought being a Chenjerai was an ideal job. As one of the Heir’s elite guards, she was learning and perfecting her fighting skills, which she could view as a natural progression from srilao. Here, in the practice ring with her fellow guards, she was equal, treated no differently, and had to prove herself like the rest, and that was gratifying. She recognized the irony of her situation because whenever the reason for the Chenjerai’s existence, Rial, walked into the room, everything changed.
The grunts and thuds as Toinen threw his current adversary to the floor competed with the good-natured taunts and jibes that accompanied the session. “Who’s next?” he asked, and Shaba stepped up. Minutes after trapping Shaba into a hold the slippery woman couldn’t slide out of, Toinen beckoned Kia with a sly smile.
She wiped her hands on her pants, no spray chalk allowed on a spaceship, and slipped into the circle.
“Come on, give us a dance,” Tamaiko called out.
She grinned at him and, gripping her left upper arm with her right hand, jerked her arm upward, fist closed—a universal symbol no matter what star system you came from.
A cheer erupted. “Put him in his place, girl,” someone shouted.
Toinen’s rule banned the use of moves from other disciplines, and Tamaiko was hoping she would throw a srilao move, which in earlier bouts had gotten her out of a tricky position, but had also meant she lost.
She faced Toinen. With his broad, stocky physique she was at a disadvantage, and she blew out a breath, cleared her mind and circled, focusing on Toinen’s right foot. He often shuffled left on his opening move, but when his right foot shifted forward, that’s when his attack came. He must have caught her gaze, because he moved in fast and grabbed her neck. Instinctively, she responded with a similar move and gripped his neck, used her forearm to shove his elbow up, turning her face away, and ducked underneath his arm, breaking his grip.
“You remembered. Well done. What else have you remembered?”
They circled and this time Kia dodged in faster, snagging the back of his neck with her left hand, and pulling him forward as her right arm pushed up and over his upper arm and she grabbed him—her thumbs tucked well in, she’d learned that lesson—backing up and swinging him around. She might have less strength, but she was fast. Dodging under his elbow, she kept her grip on his neck as she swung under his arm, twisting around behind him. He stepped forward, his stomach muscles tightening as he moved. She let go of his neck and grabbed for his waist, her breath coming fast as she struggled to keep control. She realized he’d break her hold in seconds, and she jabbed the outside of his left knee with hers, and let him go as they toppled to the floor, accompanied by shouts and yells.
They were up facing each other again and his smile said playtime was over. He didn’t even bother to circle but shot in and seized her the back of her neck, pulling her head down and moving her around with one hand.
She gave a strangled laugh. “You want to show me up, don’t you?” she panted as he swung her down and around, an involuntary moan escaping as she struck the floor.
“Chenjerai, to your cabins, and rest,” the tannoy announced.
“We’ll finish this the other side of the wormhole,” Toinen said, smiling and pulling her to her feet.
She bowed respectfully to him as she would have to her srilao teachers. “I can’t wait.” She grinned and followed him out of the gym.
After a quick blast of the chemshower and donning a clean uniform, Kia threw herself on the bed and read. She had nearly finished the empire’s history and would need to ask him for more books soon. She dozed off and woke, bored and restless. Where was Rial? She left the cabin and stood for a moment outside the command center, wondering why she was bothered by his absence, but decided if she could tackle Toinen to the ground, she could deal with Rial. She snorted. Who was she kidding? One spoke a language she understood; the other wielded power that terrified her.
The command center was empty. She wandered over to the flight deck, looking at the displays. The information meant little to her, but the large central screen relaying the view outside in real time caught her attention. Slap bang in the middle of the endless, vastness of space something was wrong. She walked up to the screen and stared at the distortion. She could make out a shimmering undulation spreading out from the anomaly and marking its boundary.
“Fascinating, isn’t it?” Rial walked over to the control deck.
She swallowed, always uncomfortable when he snuck up on her. “How far away are we?”
“A couple of hours yet, but I like to ensure everyone is properly sedated before we enter. We want to make it safely out, don’t we?” He glanced sideways at her, assessing her mood. “You had a good workout session?”
“Is it that obvious?”
The corner of his mouth lifted. “No, not at all.”
Kia’s previous wormhole experience and the aftereffects hadn’t been pleasant, and she was bothered enough to ask Rial. “Why do we have to be sedated to pass through a wormhole?”
He turned toward her with one eyebrow raised and a small quirk of his lips. He enjoyed answering her questions and always considered them with care. “The stresses on the human body cause nausea and vomiting and, on the mind, hallucinations and psychotic behavior. When the early space explorers discovered wormholes, nobody knows how many ships disappeared before enough returned to report the effects. Putting everyone to sleep solves the problem.”
“They gassed us on the transport from Emankora.”
“Yes, it’s the cheapest solution, and my father likes to maximize his profits while incurring the minimum outlay. However, the seds administered to the Chenjerai have no side effects. I have no idea how much, if at all, they’ll affect you.”
She came alert. “Why not?”
“Traveling through a wormhole has no effect on me. Unfortunately for my father, he didn’t discover this before he annihilated the research facilities where he found my mother and, despite the efforts of his cleverest scientists, has made no progress in replicating the nanobots
. I’ll be giving you a mild dose of the sedative. Is that okay?”
“Are you asking me or telling me?”
He chuckled. “You’re going to resist me at every step, aren’t you?”
“Wouldn’t you if you were in my place?”
“I would, indeed, I would, sweet Kia.”
She wasn’t sweet, she wasn’t his, and despite their current détente, having seen his ruthless side, she didn’t trust him not to break his promise to her. She couldn’t wait to get to Emankora.
A knock on the door, and Nagavi poked his head around the door. “Everything set?” he asked Rial.
Kia noticed the slight frown on Nagavi’s forehead. Unusual, she thought, he’s always prepared for every contingency.
“I’ve programmed the coordinates into the ship's system, and we’ll emerge in about thirty-six hours. Tell me when you’ve administered the doses, and I’ll come and check on you,” Rial responded.
“What about her?” Nagavi nodded in Kia’s direction.
Rial shrugged. “We’ll have to wait and see.”
“Why does he look worried?” she queried after Nagavi left.
“He hates being vulnerable, and the seds leave him defenseless. Make yourself comfortable there.” He gestured at a chair behind him. “I’ll be back once I’ve sedated Nagavi and checked everyone’s sleeping peacefully.”
When he returned, she stared at him. “You’re strapping me in?”
“Everybody is strapped in. Nagavi, Cheydii, every last one. Don’t worry, I’ll sedate you.”
“That’s no comfort.”
“Nothing about wormholes is comfortable. But I want you here in case the medication has no effect on you, and I can observe your reaction to the transit. I’m probably worrying about nothing.”
“I hope that’s the case.” Kia sat and drummed her fingers on the armrests. If Rial was uneasy, that made her doubly nervous.
“Go through the drill. Focus on your breathing, you’ll fall asleep, and when you wake up, we’ll have exited the wormhole and the next planet you set foot on will be Emankora. Bend your head to the side.”
She blew out a breath and watched as he lifted a small transparent square with a red dot in the center out of the medkit. She felt a cool sensation on her neck as he positioned the sedpatch over her carotid artery.
“Are you okay?”
“Mmm… yes.” Her eyelids drooped and her pulse slowed; the seds were taking effect. “I’m taking a nap,” were her last words as sleep embraced her, and she felt his lips on hers, soft and gentle, and a whispered, “sweet dreams.”
Her eyes flew open. Where was she? Immense bands of radiant waves surrounded her, pulsing, changing color and expanding and contracting, coming closer each time they oscillated. When they touched her, she would die. She screamed as she saw the heavy green and brown mottled snakes lying across her abdomen and holding her down. Monstrous claws appeared, and she recoiled and thrashed to get away as they were about to rake her chest open. The monster disappeared, and tears poured down her face as she gazed at her mother, standing nearby and wringing her hands. “Mama? Where’s Lilia and Alsling? It’s been far too long since I saw them. Mama, I miss you all.” Great heaving wracking sobs shook her body. “What fair game have we here?” Oloran leered toward her, his grip bruising her arm. She stared at his age-yellowed teeth, his animal grin, the rigid tendons standing out on his neck, and breathed in the sourness of his breath. “Oh, not such a tough little girl now, are you?” he sneered. “No, no, get away,” she kicked and flailed wildly, trying to escape. “Rial,” she screamed, “save me. Where are you? I need you.” Again, the walls pulsed, and mad colors flashed crazily as they pressed in on her.
“Lie still.” A hand pressed down on her forearm, withdrew something from the crook of her elbow, and dabbed at the area.
Her eyelids felt glued together, and it took a tremendous effort to open them. Every part of her body ached, especially her jaw.
“How do you feel?” He undid her restraints.
She opened her eyes, bewildered to see Rial holding a small round cylinder containing a few red drops. Exploring her jawline with her fingers, she found the sore spot. “Ow. That hurts. What happened?” She tried to sit up, but he pushed her down.
“The seds had the opposite effect to calming you. You were fine before we entered the wormhole,” he glanced at the real-time viewscreen, “after which you went berserk. What do you remember?”
“That.” She pointed at the fusion of color on the wavering pulsing walls on the screen, bile rising in her throat, “except it was as if I was outside the ship. I saw,” she stared up at him, her eyes wide. “I’m sure I saw my mother. I was hallucinating, wasn’t I?”
“Yes. It was that bad you called for my help and asked me to save you. Being the gallant savior that I am, I rushed to the rescue of my consort.”
“Now you’re making it up.”
“Truthfully, Kia, I’m not. Believe it or not, you cried out for me. You said I was your true love, and that you had chosen me. I was the one.”
She bit her lip and studied his expression. Not a hint that he was teasing.
“You were dead set on having your way with me,” he continued without blinking, “hence to protect myself, I had to knock you out.”
The insistent throbbing in her jawbone told her the part about hitting her was true. As for the rest… no, he was definitely teasing. “Taking advantage of a helpless—”
“Deranged, but definitely not helpless. I apologize for hitting you, but I had to get this,” he lifted the small cylindrical object, “from the medunit. I couldn’t risk you breaking free of the restraints and accessing the ship’s controls.”
“What is that thing?” She studied the container with alarm.
“It’s an ancient method of transferring blood. Be quiet,” he snapped as she opened her mouth. “The seds hadn’t worked, increasing the dose was out of the question as that would have worsened your condition. The one idea that made any sense was to give you my blood. I could have kept knocking you out, but this seemed a less harmful solution, and look, you’re fine.”
“You gave me more nanobots? That was your answer?”
“Yes, and it worked. Let’s see if you can walk.” He smiled.
It wasn’t the practiced dazzle he used to manipulate; it was a small lifting of his lips that reached his eyes, the look of a little boy trying to please, and somehow it touched her heart. He had, after all, saved her from the insanity of her own delusions. She accepted his help and tried a few tentative steps. Her legs trembled as remnants of tattered memories shredded the edges of her consciousness. “Thank you. I mean it, Rial, thank you.”
“Do you recall what you said to me in Jahanamu?” He didn’t release her hand.
She did. She tilted her head, waiting for what came next.
“Do you still want to kill me?” His voice was kind but his eyes calculating as he waited for her answer.”
“No, you know I don’t.” Her desire for revenge by killing him had long gone. “But that doesn’t mean—”
“Because your thanks mean nothing if I can’t trust you.”
She withdrew her hand. Emankora couldn’t come soon enough.
Chapter Nine: Emankora
Kia stood in the command room gazing with barely controlled anticipation at the bright jewel of Emankora sparkling against the gem-dusted velvet background.
The Kadaugan had arrived an hour ago and waited in a geostationary orbit for the shuttle and its escort of class two warplanes to accompany Rial down to the planet’s surface.
“A final meeting before General Huijata arrives.”
Rial’s words dragged her back to the present, and she followed him up to the meeting room. Since exiting the wormhole, the tension between them had been palpable. As Emankora drew closer, Rial spent lengthy sessions with Nagavi, refusing to discuss his plans with her.
Kia was nervy, snapping at everyone for the smallest things, la
ter apologizing because the Chenjerai were the closest thing she had to family, and she didn’t want to alienate them.
“Here, Cheydii,” Nagavi placed a bunch of flat minuscule opaque transponders in his lieutenant’s hand. “Distribute these,” he instructed.
Kia watched as Cheydii walked around the table, handing out the miniature mechanisms to everybody, including Rial. Her heart and her hopes for freedom plummeted.
Rial picked up his device and, turning his right hand over, pressed the tiny instrument into the underside of his wrist and watched it disappear.
Everybody, including Nagavi, repeated the action as Cheydii handed them out.
Kia accepted hers and said nothing. What could she say? Why is mine bigger? She knew. He didn’t trust her. Infuriated, she slammed it into her wrist, grinding her teeth and hardly aware of the nip as it sank in.
“Helmets, then ready for descent,” Rial ordered. “The General approaches. A word, Kia.”
They waited while the Chenjerai exited, Nagavi last before Rial spoke. “Did you imagine I wouldn’t guess you’re hoping to escape?”
Kia couldn’t look at him. It stung, painfully, to discover she was that transparent.
He tapped his wrist. “These weren’t devised for you, nevertheless, preventing you from making a break for your so-called freedom is a bonus. We wear tracking devices on an assignment because there are always those seeking to harm the emperor by attacking me, and attacks on the Chenjerai aren’t unknown and would hurt me. My guards are my family, and I’ll do everything within my power to protect them.”
“I would expect nothing less of you.” She spoke woodenly as her plans evaporated like morning mist at sunrise. “But why isn’t mine the same as the others are wearing?” She wanted the details.
Rial looked contrite. “Returning to your home planet will bring up a lot of buried feelings, and you haven’t been a Chenjerai long enough to overcome the conflict you’re likely to experience while we’re here. Therefore, I have taken the precaution of adapting yours, and it will release a small amount of sedative if it detects a dangerous increase in certain hormones.”
Awakening Defiance: (The Saoirse Saga Book 2) Page 7