by Roxie Ray
I laughed, clapping my hands together. Oh, she was entertaining! More and more, I was glad that I'd spent so much to secure her for myself, and myself only. After all, had I not ushered in a new era of peace for my people? Did I not deserve a treat for my efforts? Even the bloodlust was starting to simmer a bit, settling from its usual boil, just from our exchange.
“You are immensely clever,” I said. “Tell me – what is your name?”
“If you must know, it's Carly. Carly Love.”
“Very good. I am…”
“Akzun,” she finished for me. “Blood Ruler of the Valkred. Yeah, I know. Pardon me if I don't get down on my knees and kiss your ass.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Then if you know who I am, you must know that I can make your stay here quite luxurious. And I intend to, as long as you keep a civil tongue in your head and show me the deference due to a man of my position. I'm eager for the pleasure of your… company, but this may cease to be the case if you continue to exhibit such poor manners.”
She seemed uncertain, so I went on gamely: “Think of it this way: We both know that a sharp-witted girl like you is already plotting her escape at the first opportunity. Would you rather do so from the comforts of this well-appointed chamber, or from a harsh cell with stone walls and iron bars?”
She let out a mirthless chuckle, then nodded. “Well, you've got me there. Okay…” She paused, frowning. “What am I supposed to call you? Your Highness? Your Majesty?”
“Lord Akzun should suffice,” I told her. “I'm pleased that you've come to your senses. I can assure you, you won't regret it. I have other business I must attend to… please, take some time to rest, and I'll visit with you again soon.”
She nodded, sitting on the edge of the bed.
I slipped out, shutting the door behind me and locking it. I had no doubt she'd try to get away – just as I was certain that she would not succeed.
4
Akzun
I made my way down the main staircase to the parlor, knowing full well who would be waiting for me when I got there.
Sure enough, Torqa was sitting in one of the high-backed chairs upholstered with the black-and-red-striped hide of a Briziian Dusk-Mammoth – one hunted, killed, and skinned by one of Valkred's first Blood Rulers, Draavyn the First, also known as the Black Fang. One of Torqa’s long legs was slung over the armrest, and her hands were laced behind her head casually.
“An entire army of servants and bodyguards,” I observed, “plus the most technologically-advanced security systems on the planet, and still, you're able to sneak into my Stronghold undetected.”
She shrugged. “What kind of military and espionage advisor would I be if I weren't stealthy enough to confound such countermeasures?”
“Very well. What's so important that it couldn't wait for an official audience with me?”
“Oh, I apologize, Oh Wise and Noble Blood Ruler,” she replied sarcastically, rising from the chair and giving me an exaggerated bow. “Have I disturbed you? Have I interrupted your private playtime with your lovely new toy? Please forgive me, Great Lord and Master… this humble supplicant throws herself on your mercy.”
“There's no need for that tone,” I reminded her through clenched teeth.
“There is if it snaps you out of the haze you've been in,” she answered sharply. “First, you ignore my council regarding a treaty with those repulsive Mana, despite the number of Valkredians they've butchered…”
“Negotiating peace was the surest way to prevent them from butchering more of us.”
“No, exterminating them was the surest way!” she snapped. “The way of a warrior, a true Blood Ruler! Only the frightened and the feeble plead for peace… the strong smite their enemies, and leave their rotting corpses hanging from their battlements as a warning to any others who would take up arms against them! You would know that if you truly had your own people's well being in mind! And why was it suddenly so important to you to procure that loathsome human female?”
“First of all,” I began coldly, “the well-being of the Valkredians is always my foremost priority, and I will not tolerate anyone suggesting otherwise. Second, who I choose to bring home is my own business, and no one else's.”
“We both know that's not true. Or have you forgotten Elrisa already? She was a traitor, Akzun. You brought her into your home, your bed, without knowing who she really was… and as a result, our battle plans fell into the hands of the enemy, and countless lives were lost.”
My spine stiffened. “That is the second time you've brought Elrisa up today, Torqa, and there will not be a third. I haven't forgotten her actions, and I don't intend to. But Carly is a harmless human female. There is no threat here. I’m entirely in control.”
“There's no way you can be certain about that. She could have been planted in The Vein by those who wish to harm us, dosed with artificial pheromones specifically engineered to make you crave her. She could be a spy, an assassin. For all we know, she might not even really be human… she might be a Mana who's been surgically altered.”
“You sound paranoid.”
“I am paranoid, Akzun. That's my job. It's what you rely on me for. I'm no use to you otherwise.”
I took a large step forward, towering over her. “I rely on you for your counsel, and for your loyalty. That does not mean that I will tolerate disrespect, or implications that I am too weak or unintelligent to behave as a leader. You serve the Valkredian people, Torqa, which means you serve me. If you feel that you are unwilling or unable to perform your duties without needlessly insulting me, I will be only too happy to accept your resignation. Is that understood?”
She gritted her teeth and nodded. “Yes, Blood Ruler. I serve at your pleasure, as ever.”
“I'm delighted to hear it. You are dismissed. And the next time you wish to speak with me, I advise you to seek an official audience. The next time you show up in my home uninvited and unannounced, I won't hesitate to order the same punishment for you that I would for any other trespasser.”
She bowed, still seething, and marched out.
“Tell me, Akzun,” Zark said jovially, stepping out from behind a nearby bookcase, “do you think Torqa is more upset that you brought a woman to your bedchamber, or that it wasn't her?”
I growled. “First her, then you. I'm starting to think I should have all of my palace guards lined up and executed for gross incompetence.”
“Oh, come now,” Zark said, sitting in the chair opposite mine. “You can't seriously think that those mannequins you've got patrolling the walls would be enough to stop me.”
“No, but I had some hope that the laser-webs in the hallways might,” I answered wearily. “Or the tremor-detectors in the floors. Or the sentry-bots in the crawlspaces. And anyway, you don't really believe Torqa is jealous, do you?”
“Of course I do. She was jealous of Elrisa. Hell, she's jealous of me, and I'm your brother. She wants more than anything to be the most important person in your life.” He paused, then added, “Well, no, that's not entirely true. She probably wants more than anything to be Blood Ruler herself, but being your consort would be a close second.”
“You may be right.”
“I always am,” Zark smirked. “But I must admit, I'm as puzzled as she is about this human female. Why did you install her in the guests’ bedchamber? That's not where blood slaves are generally kept.”
“She's… not going to be a blood slave,” I said. I hadn’t intended to say anything so soon, but I knew there would be no changing it, and Zark would find out one way or another. I might as well be the one to tell him. “She's going to be my mate.”
Zark looked at me quizzically. “Are you serious?”
I didn't answer.
“Because if you are,” he went on uneasily, “I'd be forced to point out that your judgment might be somewhat clouded of late, due to the onset of your… condition.”
I slammed my fist down on the armrest. “I've had enough of people second-guess
ing my decisions and accusing me of poor judgment today! I refuse to tolerate any more, even from a brother! Our people are at peace for the first time in years, and my bloodlust is under control!”
“Very well, Akzun,” he said quietly. “There's no need to lose your temper. I certainly didn't mean to upset you, and I apologize for doing so. I'm only looking out for your best interests and those of our people, as always.”
“Torqa said essentially the same thing. Neither of you appear to have any faith in my ability to put the interests of our people first, apparently.”
“I didn't mean that…”
“Never mind, Zark,” I snarled. “You found your way in, so you can undoubtedly find your way out.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Aren't you going to give me the same threat you gave her about the next time I break into the palace?”
I curled my lip, revealing my fangs. “Would you like me to?”
He stood, leaving the room without another word.
I hung my head, massaging my temples to drive off the headache that was looming on the horizon like thunderclouds. I brought peace to the Valkred Empire, saved thousands – perhaps even millions – of lives, and what did I get for my trouble? Snide comments, and aspersions cast on my personal choices and self-control.
Zark and Torqa. Two sides of the same coin. Both pretending to be my trusted allies while telling me to my face that I'm unworthy of the title of Blood Ruler. Damn them.
My nostrils were still filled with Carly's delicious scent – it was clinging to my clothes, and driving me mad with desire. I went to the winding stairs and began to climb them to the highest tower of the Stronghold. Flying would have been faster and easier, but I wanted an excuse to be alone with my thoughts before seeing her. Now that I’d committed to our mating, had spoken it aloud to Zark, I needed to take more care with my interactions with Carly. Right then, I wasn’t sure that I’d be able to exhibit such control.
Because – even though I loathed admitting it, even to myself – what Torqa had said about Elrisa was still bothering me.
Elrisa.
She'd seemed so perfect in every way. Gorgeous, charming, intelligent, strong-willed, with a dry sense of humor that always caught me off-guard and a musical laugh that felt like a blessed rain after a long drought. She was everything I'd ever searched for in a mate, and when I found her, I felt like the luckiest man in the galaxy. After only a few short weeks of courtship with her, I asked her to be my bride, and she accepted.
Zark had been happy for me, of course, if only because he loved any excuse for a party. He said he believed that such an event would be good for Valkred – a chance to acknowledge that there were still reasons to celebrate, even in the middle of a horrific war.
Naturally, Torqa had been suspicious of Elrisa from the start. I'd dismissed her concerns at the time, chalking them up to her usual paranoia and ill humor.
The wedding plans were set in motion despite Torqa's protestations, and all of Valkred rejoiced.
Then the tide of the war began to turn against us. Any time our armadas attempted to execute their missions, the Mana were there almost before we were – as though they knew what we were planning at every turn.
I'll admit, it took far too long for me to suspect that the two were related. If anything, I clung even harder to the prospect of my impending nuptials, in an attempt to escape the crippling losses suffered by our fleets. I told myself that once Elrisa and I were married, I would be stronger, more focused – that with her at my side, supporting and encouraging me every step of the way, my newfound resolve would allow me to finally win this war.
Then, a week before the wedding date, Torqa brought Elrisa before me in chains… along with irrefutable evidence that my intended had been betraying us all to the Mana since before I proposed to her.
She'd used her relationship with me to gain access to our plans, and at times, she'd even influenced my decisions regarding the war. When I demanded to know why, she threw her head back and laughed maniacally, her eyes blazing with hatred. She told me that I was the most incompetent Blood Ruler that Valkred had had in the past five centuries. She said it was time for a change, for new leadership. She confessed that K'buuda – M'ruvev's predecessor, the previous leader of the Mana – had promised the Blood Throne to her, if she helped him conquer us.
Naturally, I was devastated. I told Torqa to devise a fitting punishment for the traitor… any cruelty her devious mind could think up, as long as it was public and ended with Elrisa's death.
And to her credit, Torqa did exactly that.
She ordered Elrisa's wings sawed off in the capitol square, then had her staked out naked under powerful ultraviolet lamps – the light blinded her, and burned her flesh. She bled out, thirsty and starving, begging for mercy at the end even when she knew she would receive none.
The Valkred rejoiced in her death. But after that, I knew that their support for me – their trust in my leadership – was not what it had been. Their Blood Ruler had been duped, taken in by a pretty face, and the empire had almost been destroyed as a result. That was when I vowed I wouldn't even consider taking another mate until the war was over.
And now it was. And I had.
But…
No matter how much I wanted to shake off Torqa's concerns about Carly, I couldn't – not entirely, not after what happened before. Why had seeing Carly in The Vein affected me so strongly? Had the universe truly brought us together for a purpose, or was it something more insidious… something planned by my enemies, some trick of chemicals or technology to make me desire her?
Could M'ruvev be involved somehow? Was the peace summit merely a ruse to get me in the same room with Carly, to get me to let my guard down, so the Mana could eradicate us in one final all-out assault?
I didn't want to believe any of that, but I couldn't dismiss any of it as impossible, either. The Mana were crafty, and more technologically advanced than the Valkred in many ways – that was part of what made them such formidable enemies, along with their elemental powers.
I shook my head, trying to clear it. I could think in circles for hours, even days, but it wouldn't resolve anything. No, the only way for me to try to make sense of it all was to return to Carly's chamber and see if I could get some answers – find out who she was, and maybe even try to figure out why I'd been so instantly attracted to her. The more information I had, the better I’d be able to make the decisions necessary to protect my people, above all else.
I knew that in order to do so, I'd have to attempt to remain as objective – as suspicious, as clinically detached and observant – as possible.
I also knew how difficult that would be.
5
Carly
I pulled the blankets from the bed around myself, shivering and rubbing my arms briskly. Christ, it was cold on this planet! And so dark! Was it like this all the time? Did the sun ever shine through the roiling purple clouds that filled the sky like a shifting pattern of bruises, or was this a land of eternal night?
The thought made me shudder. Daylight – you don't know how important it is until it's gone and you don't know if it'll ever come back.
How long would I be here, I wondered? Just what the hell happened to blood slaves in the long term, anyway? Were they eventually drained so much that they got too weak and their bodies gave out? Were they killed and dumped in a ditch when their masters got tired of them?
Well, whatever happened to them, it probably wasn't very pleasant, and I was willing to bet it certainly didn't involve letting them go on their merry way with a jaunty wave and a “live long and prosper.”
I needed to get out of here. Quickly, before that intergalactic Count Chockula downstairs had a chance to sink his teeth into me.
And so what if he knew I was planning to escape? That didn't necessarily mean I'd fail.
It just meant I'd have to be smart about it.
First, I tried the door, knowing full well that it would be locked. Sure enough, the
handle didn't budge. There was a locking mechanism in the metal plating that surrounded it.
Okay. Good. I could work with that.
At Cumulus, I'd taken apart and re-assembled all kinds of locks: the locks that kept the wing sections firmly in place, the locks that kept the landing gear from popping out at the wrong time, the locks on the cockpit doors – hell, even the locks on the lavatories. It didn't exactly make me an expert on picking locks, but it put me squarely ahead of most people who might find themselves in my position.
“Most people who might find themselves in my position.” Right. Because suddenly, my life is a place where finding oneself as a blood slave in some gothic castle in space is totally a thing that happens. Awesome.
I felt myself starting to giggle nervously, and I stifled it. I couldn't afford to crack up now.
So. I had a lock. What I needed next were some tools.
I looked around the room. Obviously, I couldn't expect to find a fully stocked toolbox in a drawer; I'd have to improvise with whatever was on hand.
Which, as it turned out, wasn't much.
There was the bed, of course, plus a dresser, and a table and chair by the window. Escaping out the window itself was out of the question – the stained glass (depicting one of the Valkred, dressed in dark robes and hunched over a prone woman while biting her neck… which, creepy!) was sealed shut on every side, and from what I could tell, outside it was a sheer drop, straight to the ground a hundred or so feet below.
I checked the dresser drawers. They were all empty.
Shit.
Time to think outside the box, Carly, I instructed myself, surveying the room again. That was what your supervisors at Cumulus always appreciated about you, wasn't it? The way you could come up with solutions to problems no one else could figure out? So come on, pull a miracle out of your ass like you always do. There's more than just a pat on the back and an end-of-week bonus on the line… your freedom's at stake, not to mention your life.