by Amy Miles
“Don’t matter where I come from, man. I ain’t never heard of no girl that can do all that.”
Hyde chuckles. From the corner of my eye I can just see him shaking his head. When did he move? Did I fall asleep at some point and not hear him shift into view?
From this angle it’s hard to tell anything more than generalities. Like how his hair is dark enough to be considered black. It is shaggy, falling over his face to rest about mid cheek. His shoulders seem broad. His skin tanned. I wish I could see his eyes to know what he is really like.
“That girl over there is the boogeyman, a thing creeping in the shadows, and the monster under your bed all wrapped up in one. Just wait until she gets ticked off and see if she don’t go all black-eyed on ya.”
I grit my teeth, knowing that I should not rise to his taunts but unwilling to let these people think of me like this. “I am not a killer.”
“No?” Hyde shifts and I catch a glimpse of his stubbled jaw line. From beneath the curtain of hair that falls over his face I can see darkened eyes staring straight at me. “How did your dear husband die after all? Rumor has it that you had something to do with the King’s death. Pretty convenient how you happen to become widowed on your wedding night, don’t ya think, Queeny?”
“Lay off, Hyde,” a man calls from a few feet away. I strain to see him but can only make out his legs, crossed at the ankles and stretched out before him. His feet are bare, filthy. Blood edges the arch of his foot but I can’t tell if it is from his own wound or not. “She’s just as much a prisoner as we are. Besides, it’s not like she can hurt us now anyways.”
“What do you mean?” I question, fighting to see higher than his knees but am finally forced to give up.
The scent of urine burns my eyes and I blink away tears. Callisto groans and covers her nose beside me. I’m not sure why she hasn’t moved further away from me since all of this talk about how evil I am started. Perhaps she can’t. “Really, Satal? Couldn’t you hold it?”
The raspy voice I heard earlier calls back to her. “Satal need pee. Satal no wait.”
“Perfect.” Callisto draws her legs up into her chest and buries her face into her knees. I can see they are covered in grime. “I’m surrounded by morons.”
I can’t help but smile. I like Callisto...sort of. I don’t trust her but at least she has spunk. “Will you tell me now why you think I’m no longer a threat?”
My question hangs in the silence, unattached to any one person. I do not know the name of the man who spoke a moment ago so I am unable to question him directly. “Powers gone,” Satal responds, surprising me.
“What do you mean my powers are gone? That’s not possible!”
“On the contrary, little lady,” Vondran replies. “They are very much gone.”
A trickle of fear begins to seep down my spine. Is that why I can’t call out to Kyan? I had hoped that it was because of the distance between us, but I haven’t been able to reach Bastien either. At first I thought that was because he had been killed during the battle and left behind. Now that I know he is alive on this ship I should be able to speak with him.
“How?”
Callisto looks over at me and smirks. “You didn’t think that pretty little necklace you’re wearing was just for looks now, did you?”
I twist my head and instantly feel the clamp tighten, making it hard to breathe. “Is that why I am chained down while all of you are free to move?”
“Makes you wonder, don’t it?” Hyde remarks.
I lie still, trying desperately to think beyond the pounding in my head. I can feel my body weakened from lack of nourishment. Marius told me that while I slept he spoon fed me water, but I refused to keep any food down. Even as this thought crosses my mind I realize how unsettled my stomach feels. How long has it been since I tasted food? A full week? That might explain the headache and dizziness.
Vondran slowly rises from his seated position. As he does so I spy lines in the back of his shirt where he obviously made the mistake of leaning back against the bars. The fabric is melted and shiny. I wonder if it fused with his skin.
When he turns I am able to see him fully. His greasy dark blond hair falls about his shoulders. If it were washed I imagine his hair would be thick. His eyes are a startling turquoise that reminds me of Calisted seen from space. A thick growth of beard clings to his cheeks, jaw and trails down his neck, several shades darker than the hair upon his head.
His cheeks are sallow, his frame lean. He stands tall, though he is hardly able to reach fully upright beneath the glass ceiling. His gaze is intense and unreadable.
“I don’t know why you are here, and to be honest I don’t care. I think that I speak for all of us when I say that when we arrive, and you find your friend again, you need to stay out of our way.”
The bite of his words hits me as if he had physically struck me. So much for creating an alliance!
As he starts to turn his back on me, the man whose legs I spied earlier speaks up. “You might want to reconsider that, Vondran.”
The man draws his legs in and rises. I can see the wide breadth of his back, see the muscle definition in his arms through the ragged tatters of his shirt. Rust colored blood has soaked through his once blue shirt. A wide swatch of it runs across his right shoulder and down his side. As he turns I catch a glimpse of another path of blood straight across his abdomen.
“Nearly died when they first brought him in,” Callisto whispers to me as the two men face off. “Apparently we are worth far more alive than dead, so the Roamers fixed him up.”
I purse my lips and return my gaze to the two men. Vondran stands only an inch taller than the once injured man but he is half his size in weight. “Come on, Reyes. Don’t tell me you’re siding with that girl.”
The man named Reyes pushes himself toward Vondran’s face though can only manage to reach within a foot of him. “Whose side should I be on? The girl with enough rage to tear this ship apart or you, a filthy mess the Roamers dug out of the back of a morvant back in Vonderheide?”
Vonderheide? That name sounds familiar. I rack my brain in search of the name and realize that during my lessons with Kyan on Calisted geography, this is a small working man’s town on the outskirts of Raos, the mining town whose delegates I was meant to meet with on the day of the attack.
“I’m unfamiliar with the term morvant.” I speak up.
Reyes turns and smirks at me. “It means bordello, brothel, whorehouse—”
I wince. “Thank you. I think I understand the reference.”
“This man is nothing but a gutter rat, feasting off the good women of our town.” Reyes spits at Vondran’s feet.
The taller man sneers and pulls against his chains, unable to reach Reyes. The muscles in his neck strain yet he finally gives up and lets his arms fall back to his side. He breathes heavily. For a moment I think that he might just turn and sit back down but a sly smile stretches along his face. “How many women have you been with, Reyes? A dozen? A hundred? You never were so high and mighty until your little sister began lifting her skirt for me.”
Reyes lunges at Vondran, pulling hard enough against his chains to dislocate his own hip. “Oh, that is ripe,” Hyde laughs. He rubs his hands together, his arms propped up by his bent knees. He sits forward and my stomach twists at his delight. “So the noble Reyes isn’t so noble after all?”
“Leave ‘em alone,” Marius calls. He is off to my right but I don’t look. Although I’m sure the man means well his words fall flat with his obvious uncertainty.
Watching Reyes now, I know that he is a fighter. Perhaps not in the usual sense of the term when you think of a soldier or hunter, but I can see it in his stance. This is a man I want on my side when it comes to fight back.
“Reyes,” I call. He doesn’t seem to hear me until the fourth time I call out. Finally he stops pulling against his chains and turns to look at me. I see that his hair is a mixture of blond and dark browns, wavy and unkempt. His eyes ar
e a piercing bronze color, evidence of his Caldonian heritage. Although he appears to be only a few years older than me I know that he is probably well over a hundred by now. “I did not lie when I said that I am not a threat to you or to anyone here. Well, Hyde’s future may be up in the air at the moment…” I pause as the others laugh. Hyde sneers at me and turns away. I turn and look back at Reyes. “You are smart to side with me.”
“Why is that?” Callisto asks.
I smile and turn my gaze back toward the ceiling. This time I don’t shy away from the speeding stars overhead. I embrace them. “Because when the day comes that I get this collar off, I’m going to be your only shot of getting home.”
EIGHT
It is impossible to tell time in space. We are forever surrounded by bleak darkness and seizure-inducing flashes of stars overhead. The lighting on this ship never brightens above a level of dimness that allows me to only truly see well if I squint, not that there is much to look at.
At my best guess I would say a full day has passed in silence. No one has said a word since my final statement. I hope I can take that as a good sign that they are thinking over my insinuation. We may not have to like each other but surely they realize that I am their best shot for survival.
My thoughts linger on Eamon with increasing frequency. My stomach seems to be on a constant tilt, not knowing if he is alive. Did he make it through the battle? Has Kyan returned to find our world in ruin? Are they looking for me?
I have thought often about Reyes and Vondran. They claim to come from just outside the Raos province. I know this to be a good distance from my home. How many others were taken from Calisted before the palace was attacked? Why was there no warning? Was there truly a spy within my ranks that kept this attack hidden until the last possible moment?
And what of Bastien? I have heard nothing about him. Our captors have not appeared since I awoke. No food or water has been brought to us, though I suspect that will come soon enough. A weak slave is no good to them.
I wish that I were free to curl in upon myself and cry. Though I would hate to show any form of weakness in front of these men, I cannot help but acknowledge the need and the longing to release my fears in such a basic way.
I am afraid. I will not deny that. On Earth I had weapons to defend myself. On Calisted I had my powers. Now...I have nothing.
Glancing to my right I notice that even Callisto and Marius have put distance between me and them. The others sit with their backs to me, refusing to even look in my direction. I suppose I don’t blame them. Not really. They are all strangers to each other, thrust into this hell hole of piling feces, rancid urine and the reek of unclean bodies. The scents are enough to overcome even the strongest person but today I am feeling especially trapped by it all.
I wish that I could sleep, to escape this nightmare even for a moment. Then I could dream. I could be in Eamon’s arms once more, safe, happy...content.
But would Eamon come to me in my dreams? I wonder as I shift, trying to stretch out my legs enough to ease the cramping. I spent my nights with Bastien and my days with Eamon. Would that change now that Eamon is no longer by my side?
My stomach begins to roil. I can feel bile rising in my throat, eating away at the sensitive lining as I imagine Eamon broken and left for dead in the ruins of the palace. What if he didn’t make it out? What if he is gone and I don’t even know it?
Acid rises into my mouth, sealing off my airway. I can’t breathe. I can’t turn my head to expel the bile.
“Hey, what’s she doing?” I hear Callisto ask but I begin to flail in panic, my arms and legs beating against the floor as I choke. The sound of my chains clanking against the metal floor sounds distant in my ear as a shadow falls over me. I stare up at Callisto with wide, frightened eyes. “Oh crap, she’s choking! Someone help her.”
“Grab her head and tilt it!” Marius shouts from behind her. I’m vaguely aware of his panic and the movement of the men around me but it is all superficial against the burning need to breathe.
Loud shouts rise around us, filling the cage as Reyes yells for help, beating his chains against the wall.
“I can’t turn her head! She’s chained down!” Callisto’s panic sends me over the edge. My right leg presses up against the bar and the scent of burning flesh stings my nose. I try to scream, to thrust the bile from my throat but it is no use. I’m drowning.
“Scoop out her mouth!” Marius demands. “You have to clear her airway.”
A cry from my left captures Callisto’s attention. Color drains from her face as she wrenches back from me, scuttling out of sight. The floor vibrates beneath me and a long shadow drapes over me. Huge hands grasp my chains, yanking them from the wall. My head is thrust to the side and a hand presses on my stomach, forcing me to gag.
The scent of bile spilling onto the floor is potent but welcome as I take my first breath of unrestricted air. The hand presses again on my stomach but there is nothing left to come out.
A hiss behind me makes the pressure on my abdomen instantly release. I am hauled to a sitting position and thrust back against the wall. My ears ring under the force with which I am tossed. My side screams in agony as I feel the brunt of my impact ripple up through my broken ribs.
“Ow,” I growl, raising my gaze to glare at the giant before me. Up close I can see the distinct scale-like flesh on my captor’s elongated face. Each scale shimmers crimson and burnt orange even in this dim light. “You’re lucky I’ve got this collar on buddy, cause if I didn’t you’d be in a world of hurt right now.”
The creature before me releases a sound resembling a bark. I can only imagine it to be a laugh. Its thin lips peel back to reveal teeth about an inch in length, narrow and dangerously sharp. Another hiss draws my captor’s attention away.
I glance over its shoulder, forced to crane my neck back in order to do so and realize that another creature stands in the doorway. Doorway? Where did that come from?
At the creature’s feet I see Hyde crawling back onto his knees. He looks slightly dazed but every bit the resentful man I have discovered him to be. “Hands off, lizard breath. I ain’t doing nothing wrong.”
A swift kick to his back slams Hyde to the floor. With a foot the size of a young oak tree, the creature slams down on Hyde’s back, pinning him. Long curled claws as black as onyx protrude from its four toes, each one beginning to dig into the flesh of his back. Hyde’s grunting becomes cries of pain. “Stop it!” I cry out, pressing back against my captor’s grasp.
The creature’s slitted eyes turn toward me. I watch as a thin layer of skin slides over the eye and then withdraws. I shiver despite my desire to remain strong. This thing really creeps me out!
Youuu are in nooo possssition to be maaaking demandssss, a raspy voice calls to my mind. I gasp, shocked by the intensity of its voice. I can feel the commanding power behind its words.
Why can I understand you? I call back but hear only silence. It stares at me with eyes like a smoldering coal. It slowly raises a finger and points to its neck.
“Why can I understand you?” I repeat aloud, catching on to the fact that my new neck fashion accessory is blocking my telepathy.
I can feel my companions turn to look at me but I ignore their questioning glances. Becaussse I waaannt youuu tooo.
“What do you want from us?”
This time I clearly see Callisto and Marius exchange a loaded glance.
Thaaaat isss nooot the realll quessssstion, issss it?
I frown. “Then what is the real question?”
Although I am still very unfamiliar with this creature I have learned enough to know when it is attempting a smile. Gruesome, hideous and distorted but still a smile. Youuu seeeeek the booooyyy.
“Bastien? Does he live?”
It tilts its head to the side and applies more pressure to Hyde’s back. He cries out and I can see blood seeping between the creature’s toes. Fooor noooow.
“What are you doing?” Callisto hisses, cas
ting a sidelong glance at me. “You can’t seriously think that you can understand that thing.”
“It is translating into our language in my mind,” I say back and turn my attention away from her. “Why have you taken us?”
Yooouuu are speeecciaaal.
“And the others?”
“Oh man, I don’t be liking the sound of that none too well,” Marius mutters under his breath. He runs his hands over his dense hair and back down his cheeks to hold his neck. “They gonna kill us, ain’t they?”
Noooo. The creature shakes its head. Vaaaluaaable tooo meee.
“What they say?” Marius’ voice cracks.
“He says you are valuable to him.” I offer him a tight lipped smile. “You’re safe for now.”
Marius releases an exaggerated sigh of relief but I don’t share his respite. I notice movement from my left and turn to look at Reyes. He has scooted nearer to Vondran. This surprises me. They are hardly the type to want to bond together even in circumstances such as these. I begin to worry that they may be up to something so I rush to drawn attention back to myself.
“We require food and water,” I call out loudly. I glare up at the creature still holding me. Its grip is strong enough to possibly break my arm if it does not ease up a bit.
Iiiit will coooomeee soooon.
The creature’s gaze shifts from me and I tense, realizing that it is surveying Callisto and the girl whose brother I inadvertently killed. I have yet to hear her name, though I doubt even if I asked her she would give it to me. I don’t like the way he looks at them. Almost as if they are a meal.
“Are they valuable to you as well?” I ask.
Its slitted eyes swivel back toward me though its neck does not. Yeeesss.
“So you will not hurt them, correct?”
Another barking laugh from the creature looming over me reveals that this is not a private conversation. I dig my nails into its hand, attempting to pry it off but it does not budge. A tiny bit of brackish brown blood seeps from its skin where I puncture its flesh with my nails but it gives no hint that I caused it any pain.