by J. J. Green
She opened her eyes and turned over. Bryce faced away from her toward the outer door, sitting cross-legged with his rifle across his lap, his figure dark in the flickering light from the torches, which were burning low.
He must have heard her move because he looked over his shoulder and then got up and walked to her side. He lay down, moved his head close to hers, and whispered, “Can’t sleep?”
Carina gave a slight shake of her head. “I’ll take this watch if you’d like.”
“I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep either,” he said.
The glow from a torch illuminated his face and Carina saw an emotion that she shared. The two of them had not gotten to spend a single night alone together in all the weeks since the Matching, when by an unspoken agreement they had chosen each other.
Bryce put a hand on Carina’s waist and moved closer to kiss her. As their lips met, the room exploded in a cacophony of noise and light.
Someone screamed, “Get up! Get up!”
Before Carina could figure out what was going on, large, muscular hands grabbed her under her armpits. She snatched for her weapon but she was dragged away from it and hauled to her feet. Men in odd clothes were grabbing the children, manhandling them out of their sleeping bags and kicking their elixir flasks out of reach. Bryce was wrestling with bald, wiry man.
Carina spun around, swinging her fist behind her, but her blow was deflected, hard, by the butt of a weapon. She heard a crack and feared her arm was broken. Nevertheless she let her impetus carry her around and brought up her other fist to punch her assailant in the stomach. Her hand was caught in a larger one and crushed. She gasped with pain and saw her attacker for the first time. He was a giant, dressed in baggy, rich clothes like the rest.
Through her pain, the source of the attack finally clicked in her mind. These were not starving Ostillonians or Dirksen troops and neither did they look like priests of the temple. These were the smuggler’s men. It was the only answer that made any sense.
The giant released his bone-crushing grip on Carina’s hand, grabbed her shoulder, turned her roughly around, and shoved her front against the wall. Behind her she could hear the frightened sobs and cries of her siblings but there wasn’t anything she could do to help them: the smuggler’s man had her pressed so hard against the wall she thought her ribs would break. The cold, rough stone grated the skin off her cheek and jaw.
She couldn’t breathe and felt herself losing consciousness.
She registered her wrists gathered together and secured by thin rope that dug into her flesh. Then, mercifully, the pressure on her back eased. A hand dragged her around again and pushed her backward. The giant bent down to run his hands over her legs, searching for weapons.
Carina jerked her knee up, smashing it into the man’s nose.
His head snapped backward at the impact. When he rose, his face was a mask of blood and rage. His massive hand grabbed Carina’s jaw and twisted it, tugging at the skin and grinding her teeth together. He moved so close their noses nearly touched, then he thrust her head sharply backward, bashing her skull into the wall.
Black edged into Carina’s vision as pain exploded at the point of contact. She staggered and dropped to her knees.
“Carina, stop,” Bryce pleaded. “You’re going to get yourself killed.”
She was aware of warm blood trickling down her head onto her neck. She sagged forward. Bryce was right. They were outnumbered and she was no match for this gigantic thug.
“Get up,” said the smuggler’s man.
When Carina didn’t comply fast enough he heaved her to her feet with one hand. The children were already being forced out of the room, looking scared. Bryce was next to be pushed toward the doorway. His hands were tied behind his back too.
Carina was the last to leave, her captor’s hand heavy on her shoulder as he forced her out.
Chapter Sixteen
The van the smuggler’s men put them in was windowless and smelly and the ride was bumpy as they drove away, fast, through the city streets. The vehicle did not use the a-grav engine the Dirksens had introduced to the planet. It was an older model the men had dredged up from somewhere.
Darius curled up close to Carina. She put an arm around him while trying to steady herself from the rocky movement with the other. Her head was pounding from the wound she’d sustained and blood continued to trickle down her neck.
“Where are we going?” asked Oriana.
“What’s happening?” Ferne asked. “Who are those men?”
“We’ll find out soon enough,” Carina said, “but I think Castiel is behind this and the men are from the Zenobia.”
“Why can’t he leave us alone?” Parthenia asked.
“He probably wants us even more now,” said Oriana. “We locked him away for weeks. He wants to get his revenge.”
“So do I,” Carina said. “He kidnapped and hurt Nahla, and that was after he tried to help the Dirksens catch us. He’s lucky I didn’t space him. I won’t make the same mistake again.”
The van hit a pothole and lurched, sending them all crashing into each other. Nahla squealed in fear.
“It’s okay,” Bryce said. “It’s just a bump.”
“The people in the street will be happy we’ve left,” Darius said. “They’ll get all our food now.”
His words seemed to throw a dark cloud over their already miserable situation. No one spoke, and all Carina could think of was how every time they tried to escape from people who wanted to exploit them for their powers, something happened to drag them right back again. It was doubly terrible that it was their own blood who was responsible for it.
She couldn’t understand why Castiel would think things would go differently for him this time. Had the smuggler promised him wealth and power in return for giving them up? It would have been clear to the Zenobia’s owner that an interesting story lay behind the ship occupied by only one person, who was locked in the brig. What tale had Castiel spun for them?
Had the Dark Mage bargained for his freedom in return for his siblings’?
The van rumbled on and Carina began to feel sick. Her headache, the stuffy air, and the darkness all contributed their part to her nausea. She tried to plan ahead, to think of a way to escape before the men could bundle them onto the Zenobia, assuming that was where they were going, but nothing came to mind. She was too befuddled. Yet if she didn’t think of something and they were forced aboard the starship their options for escaping would be drastically narrowed, especially if the ship left orbit.
Mental exhaustion suddenly hit her. Was this how things were going to be forever? How many more times would she have to find a way out of captivity? How many more times would she have to fight to free herself and those she loved? Was this the destiny of mages who refused to live in secrecy and solitude?
Carina felt Bryce’s arm slide around her. She rested her head on his shoulder, wondering how long she could carry on.
The van hit rougher ground and jostled the captives. Carina hung onto Darius as the vehicle swayed and bumped. She guessed they were traveling outside the city. Had the smuggler landed the Zenobia somewhere outside a spaceport in an attempt to avoid detection? That had been her plan too. But unless Castiel had learned how to perform Darius’s Cloak Cast, the ship would not go unnoticed for long.
The van’s driver certainly seemed to be in a hurry. The rough ground didn’t deter him or her from driving fast. The passengers were bounced so violently they crashed into the walls and floor.
Carina finally lost her temper and thumped the wall separating them from the driver with her fist, shouting, “Slow down!”
Her words had no effect. Fifteen minutes or so later the driver slammed on the brakes, flinging the captives forward. Seconds later the doors opened and hands reached in to drag out the children, Carina, and Bryce. The night air hit Carina like a cold wave. She saw starlight and the black silhouette of a starship before she was rushed aboard along with the others.
The interior that greeted her was depressingly familiar. They were back aboard the Zenobia.
The men pulled Carina and Bryce away from the children and forced them into an elevator. Darius and Nahla wailed and reached out their arms but there was nothing Carina could do. The giant had her wrists firmly in his grasp and was lifting her arms upward. One movement and he could dislocate her shoulders.
“Just do what they tell you,” Carina called out. “Don’t fight them. We’ll get you out as soon as we can.”
The men accompanying her and Bryce found this very funny.
For the first time she got a good look at them. The men were all large and heavily muscled with big bony heads and wide mouths. Their beards were carefully styled and a few continued the styling to the hair on their heads. When they laughed their voices were deep and velvety like the owner of the Zenobia’s when he comm’d the ship.
She had never seen men like them. She guessed they were all from the same planet, somewhere far away, perhaps even outside the sector.
The giant who had captured her was a head taller than the rest. He glared at her for the entire elevator ride, not bothering to wipe the blood ran slowly from his nose, dripping from his chin onto the deeply muscled chest revealed by the open neck of his baggy white shirt.
The elevator stopped and soon Carina found herself back on the bridge. The owner sat in the captain’s seat, which barely contained him. His paunch hung between the thick thighs of his spread legs, and his broad body protruded past each side of the back of the seat.
The man was awaiting their appearance, his seat swiveled to face the door. The iridescent blue, cone-shaped hat Carina had seen before remained perched on his head. Unlike his men, he was clean shaven.
He grinned at Carina and Bryce’s appearance on the bridge. Carina didn’t think she’d ever seen so many teeth. The man obviously took great care of them too. They were the brightest things in the room.
“Come in, come in,” he said, waving them forward and acting as if he were inviting guests to a party.
Carina’s guard didn’t share his boss’s welcoming sentiment. He thrust her forward while maintaining his one-handed grip on her wrists, causing her arms to jerk upward painfully. Her resulting grimace made the Zenobia’s owner grin even wider.
“Sit down,” he said.
Carina and Bryce were forced to their knees.
“Good, good,” said the man.
Carina looked for Castiel but he was nowhere to be seen.
The captain rested his hands on his knees and leaned forward, screwing up his eyes as he inspected Carina and Bryce. “It is strange. You don’t look any different from regular people. I’m interested in the abilities of your kind. I see some similarity between you, girl…” he jabbed a finger of heavily bejeweled hand at Carina… “and the boy who claims to be your brother. I know now he spoke the truth when he said you were related. I can see the resemblance. Your family customs are strange. If my brother were to betray me…” He drew a finger across his throat, turned toward his men, and laughed. They echoed his laughter.
“Believe me, Castiel will be the first to die when we escape,” Carina said.
The smuggler’s laughter redoubled. His fat belly jiggled with merriment and he wiped tears from his eyes. His men’s mirth increased by the same degree. But when he waved a hand for silence it fell within a moment.
“Do not mistake me,” said the smuggler. “Your brave words in the face of insurmountable odds are admirable, if unrealistic. Such courage is rare in this barbaric region of space, where individuals hide within their starships, using weapons to do their fighting for them. You are like the women of my world. I find your attitude deeply stimulating.”
“What’s your name?” Carina asked.
The smuggler flashed his impressive rows of teeth again. “Why do you want to know?”
“So I can add you to my list of people to kill.”
Bryce softly sighed.
Carina thought she saw a flash of anger in the smuggler’s eyes, set deep in his fleshy face, but he only smiled—his lips closed this time—and nodded, as if understanding a new truth. “I am Berami Lomang. Place me at the top of your list. I will accept no lesser position, and I look forward to our encounter.”
“The top?” Carina scoffed. “No. That place is reserved for my brother.”
Chapter Seventeen
Castiel was so predictable. Carina and the others hadn’t been in the Zenobia’s brig longer than half an hour before he arrived to gloat.
The guards had separated the group into two: males and females. The brig only contained two cells, which faced each other across the passageway. They were only intended for single occupants.
Carina was sitting with her sisters on the bunk, trying to think of a way to escape when Castiel turned up.
The brig walls and door were transparent. Castiel sauntered into view, one hand on his hip in an apparent attempt to emphasize his nonchalant superiority. If Carina hadn’t been so angry with him she might have laughed at his act.
“How does it feel?” he asked. “Not very nice, is it? Shut away, confined against your will, having to sleep, shit, and piss where everyone can see you?”
“No one watched you shit, Castiel,” said Bryce from across the way. “Stars, why would any of us want to see that? But don’t let that stop you from wallowing in self pity.”
“You deserved all you got,” Carina said, “and more. Much more.”
“I never deserved any of it,” spat Castiel. “I didn’t ask to be born into this lousy family, growing up with my brothers and sisters showing off their ‘special powers’ in front of me, acting like they were so much better. Making me feel inferior every single day of—”
“It wasn’t anything like that!” Parthenia exclaimed. “You were Father’s favorite. None of us got any attention or praise. It all went to you.”
“That’s because he was trying to make up for our bitch of a mother—”
“Don’t you ever speak about Mother like that!” Parthenia was on her feet and at the wall, her fists pressed up against it.
“I’ll speak about her however I like!” Castiel yelled. His young face transformed into a snarl. “She was a bitch who wanted our father for his wealth and power, but as soon as she got what she wanted she refused to give him the only thing she had to offer in return: her mage powers. She just wanted to take, take, take. Beautiful dresses and jewelry, a mansion to live in, all she could desire. But when it came to fulfilling her side of the bargain? No. She wouldn’t do it, so Father had to make her. That’s the truth, but none of you will admit it.”
As far as Carina was concerned, Castiel had signed his own death warrant when he’d given them up to the smuggler, Lomang. Calling Ma a bitch only meant his death would be slower than he might have liked. Yet she was mildly interested to hear Castiel’s take on his parents’ relationship. Was that what Stefan had told him, or had he concocted the false narrative himself?
“How can you even think that?” Parthenia asked. “Are you insane? Mother hated Father with every bone in her body. He was cruel and evil. You think being behind these walls for a few weeks was a bad experience? Father held Mother captive our entire lives. And not only that, he…”
The horrible memories were too much for Parthenia. She covered her eyes and sobbed.
Carina walked over to her sister and hugged her.
“Go away,” she said to Castiel. “You’ve said your piece. Now go.”
“Do you really think you can boss me around?” Castiel sneered. “You can’t tell me what to do. I’m the one with the power now. You’re all going to have to do what I say, pretty soon.”
“You’re as dumb as you are arrogant,” said Carina. “What makes you think the smuggler is going to treat you differently from the Dirksens?”
Castiel reddened. “The Dirksens treated me well. They were going to give me a high-ranking position.”
“Yeah, that’s why you couldn’t wai
t to get away from them,” Carina said. She turned to Bryce in mock curiosity. “What was it he said after Darius Transported their troops off this ship?”
“Something about giving him his freedom.” Bryce was watching the exchange from the opposite cell.
Castiel’s color deepened. “I didn’t say anything like that.”
“You’re a liar,” Carina said, “but that’s no surprise. You think you’ve done something clever by handing us over to that man? All you’ve done is make things worse for yourself. Do you think Lomang is going to see you any differently from us? I’m surprised you aren’t already in the brig now that he’s got us, like you promised him. He probably wants to keep you happy for another couple of days, until he’s learned what he wants to know.
“In some ways I pity you,” Carina went on. “One of the first things I learned about being a mage is you never, ever tell a non-mage what you can do. Because sooner or later they’re going to want to exploit you for their own ends and if you refuse they’ll make you. As soon as a non-mage learns about your powers you cease to be a person to them. You’re just a freak who deserves to be used however they want. But Ma never taught you that. She never had to. She didn’t think you had any powers. What amazes me, though, is that now you’ve learned that once the hard way, you’ve made the same mistake again.”
Castiel’s hands balled into fists at his sides. “That isn’t how it’s going to be. I’ve joined Lomang’s crew and I’m going to receive a percentage of his profits—profits that are going to increase now that he has me and all of you working for him. And if you don’t do what I say I’ll hurt Nahla.”
“You touch one hair of that little girl’s head and I promise you, Castiel,” Carina hissed, “I will Split you like Ma Split your father.”
“Carina,” warned Bryce.
“Back off!” she yelled. “I’m sick and tired of everyone making excuses for this evil little runt. He’s his father’s child, he doesn’t have a trace of Ma’s sweet nature in him. You should have let me kill him while we had the chance.”