by Roxie Ray
It was a nice thought.
Then I thought about Torqa, and a shudder of pure revulsion went through me. Try as I might, I couldn't quite conceive of anything I could do to ever get her on my side. Especially since I was relatively sure that most of her ire toward me sprung from the fact that she wanted Akzun all to herself. It wasn't anything she'd said, exactly – but as a woman, it was an undeniable dynamic that I'd recognized plenty of times on Earth. As long as I stood between her and the man of her dreams, I'd be her enemy.
And as enemies went, she seemed like a damn dangerous one.
I heard movement outside my door, and my heart skipped a beat. All these thoughts of Torqa were making me skittish. It was probably just Akzun, returning to his chambers. Fine. He could do whatever the hell he wanted. I was in no mood to talk to him after the scene he'd made earlier.
He should take some time to cool off. He could certainly use it. Besides, now that I've got this data pad, I've got plenty of books to read in order to pass the time…
Then I heard something crash across the hall.
So what? He's throwing a tantrum and breaking things in his room. That seems about his speed. Best to leave him to it. Ugh, men, I swear to God. Impossible to deal with in any galaxy.
… but it didn't sound like someone was tearing up the room. There was a long silence, then another thump and crash.
Then silence again.
I was starting to feel uneasy. What was going on over there?
I hopped off my bed, moved it away from the door, and poked my head out. The corridor was empty. The door to Akzun's chamber was ajar.
And beyond that… darkness.
I stepped out apprehensively, squinting my eyes at Akzun's room, trying to see what, if anything, was inside. It didn't look like there was any movement. I didn't hear any sounds or breathing.
Somehow, though, I felt like there was a presence inside, watching me. I didn't know how. I could just sense it.
A chill went up my spine, and for a moment, I was a little kid again, cringing and cowering in the shadows of my room after my parents had gone to sleep, feeling the darkness press in on me from all sides. Imagining a hundred nightmarish shapes crawling and slithering and panting in the corners, teeth bared, waiting for me to fall asleep so they could devour me.
I had begged my mom and dad for a night light many times, but they refused. Instead, they just kept patting me on the head and insisting that the more nights I spent in the dark, the sooner I'd realize there was nothing to be afraid of. Later, when I got older, I came to understand that they were too poor to afford anything as extravagant as a night light, or the additional energy costs of keeping it plugged in.
Meanwhile, though, my fear of the dark never fully left me, even as an adult.
And now the dark doorway was gaping in front of me, mocking me, like a portal to madness and oblivion. I wanted to throw my terror aside, charge into the room, and prove to myself that there was no reason to be afraid.
But I couldn't, not any more than I could have when I was a child.
“Akzun?” I called out, my voice trembling. “Are you in there?”
Nothing. Just shadows and silence.
Except something inside me – something horrible and undeniable – insisted that there was someone there. That eyes were staring at me, waiting for me to turn my back so something could lunge and pounce and bite and tear. The same boogeyman from my childhood, one with a thousand faces, one that had followed me across entire star systems to satisfy his hunger.
Oh, stop being so goddamn ridiculous, Carly! I chided myself. You get abducted by a flying saucer, enslaved by a space vampire, bought by another, threatened by a third, and this is what you're afraid of? An empty fucking room? Grow up! There are very real dangers and monsters all around you, so maybe focus on those instead of imaginary ones, okay?
I took a deep breath.
Okay.
I took a few steps backward – still waiting for something wild and ugly and awful to spring out of the darkness – then steeled myself and turned around, heading for the marble stairway. I went down one level, then another. My stomach was rumbling, and I wondered if I might be able to find a kitchen or pantry of some kind.
Sure enough, I eventually found a chamber where every surface seemed to be either polished steel or patterns of black and red ceramic. It was hard to tell, but the fixtures and machines bolted to the walls and counters looked like they might have been cooking appliances. I opened a few cabinets with heavy metal doors – the inside of one of them felt refrigerated, and about a dozen bags of red fluid were hanging inside.
Probably more of that “artificial blood” gunk – I'm definitely not drinking that.
“Do you require assistance?” a raspy voice behind me asked.
I turned and saw Dhako. He stood at attention in the doorway, his eyebrows raised expectantly.
“Um, yes, thank you,” I answered. “I was hoping I could find something to eat?”
“Of course. Please follow me.”
Dhako brought me to a dining room with a long table, gesturing for me to sit. “I will return momentarily with your food,” he said. “Until then, please make yourself as comfortable as possible.”
Just as I was about to take a seat, my eye was drawn to a tall window overlooking a fascinating garden. I wasn't sure why, but I felt it calling to me – perhaps because sitting outside and admiring the natural beauty of my surroundings would make me feel less like Akzun's prisoner and more like his guest.
“I don't mean to be difficult,” I called out after Dhako, “but would it be possible for me to eat out there?”
He nodded placidly. “Certainly. Have a seat in the garden, and I'll bring your meal to you directly.”
“Thanks.”
I found my way down to the garden and sat at a small, round metal table with a glass top, taking in my surroundings. A string of delicate yellow lights were draped all around me, held up by tall stakes that blended wonderfully with the trees.
The flora and fauna of Valkred were beautiful and intriguing – I couldn't take my eyes off the gnarled black bushes with their metallic leaves of purple and blue, or the bizarre insect species crawling and fluttering around the lush petals of the alien flowers. There were vividly-hued caterpillars almost twelve inches long; pale moths, with long curled tails and intricate patterns on their wings; bees that were half the size of my palm, humming sleepy lullabies to themselves, their furry bodies speckled with a variety of dried, fragrant nectars that glowed in the dark.
So many sights to take in! So many new species to learn about and appreciate! How could I possibly still want to go back to my dull, hardscrabble life on Earth, when there were so many breathtaking sights and sounds to take in here on Valkred?
Just as that thought crossed my mind, the lights blinked out, darkness rapidly swooping in to cover my eyes tightly and claim me for its own.
My breath caught in my throat. I held my hands a few inches in front of my face, moving my fingers, but I couldn't see a thing. It was as though I'd been suddenly struck blind, flailing and helpless, waiting for the predators of the night to carry me away forever.
“Hello?” I called out tremulously. “Is anyone there? What's going on?”
I heard something flapping in the sky over me, and felt a shape closing in on me swiftly from directly above. I threw my hands over my head and cried out, twisting out of my chair sharply and throwing myself on the grass to avoid whatever was coming down on me. On the way down, I twisted my ankle, feeling it give out under me.
There was a loud smashing sound on the ground right next to me, and something sharp and jagged dug into my arm. I shrieked, horribly certain that I'd been right, that some winged, razor-mouthed beast had sunk its teeth in me and was about to chew the flesh off my bones. I swung my fists in its direction, desperately trying to fight it off. I expected to connect with a furry snout and cruel tusks, to feel its hot breath on my hand, to hear the thing g
rowl and grunt and slobber.
Then the lights flickered back on, illuminating the ground around me.
The first thing I saw was my own blood, smeared across my sleeve and dripping on the pearly blades of grass. I looked around for whatever had attacked me, but all I could see was the shattered remains of what appeared to be a stone statue. I could still vaguely make out the crouched legs, and part of a bat wing. The rest was mostly rubble – and from the look of it, the sharp, broken edges were what had gouged my arm. A sliver of its hideous face stared up at me, fangs bared.
I peered up at the towers of the palace, and saw from where the statue had fallen. It was one of a row of sculpted figures perched on the battlements, depicting fierce snarling creatures with long claws. They reminded me of the gargoyles that guarded the walls of the few remaining gothic cathedrals on Earth, set there to frighten evil spirits away.
I dragged myself to my feet and started limping toward the doorway that led back inside the castle. Between the freaky power outage and the falling objects, I decided that dining al fresco that night might not be such a good idea after all. My arm hurt, and pain stabbed at my ankle, but I still managed to make it most of the way before a shadow fell across me.
It was Akzun, staring at me with his piercing dark eyes, his expression intense but unreadable.
14
Akzun
I had just finished speaking with the Drekkir ambassador the Lunians, and was finally on my way to visit with Carly when I saw her lying on the ground, blood pouring from her arm. What in the galaxy…
My pulse quickened immediately as beads of sweat formed all across my flesh. The smell of her blood was so heavy that it went straight to my head. It was all I could do not to drop to my hands and knees and lick it off the grass… or worse, seize her arm and start gulping it straight from the wound.
Instead, I did everything I could to keep my face and posture as neutral as possible. I didn't want her to know how deeply thirsty she was making me, how much I wanted to devour her in a series of long, warm, wonderful drafts.
“What has happened here?” I asked, keeping my jaw tightly clenched in an attempt to control my cravings.
“Oh, hey, welcome home,” she replied with a weak laugh. “Yeah, I, uh, must look like a real mess, huh? First, I went looking for some food, then I asked Dhako if I could sit outside while I ate and he said yes, and then the next thing I knew the lights went out and one of those statues up on the tower came loose and almost killed me… I got a little scraped up, and I think I twisted my ankle, but I'm sure I'll be okay.”
Almost killed her? My nostrils were filled with the rusty scent of blood. My brain felt like someone was running an electric current through it. I couldn't stand it anymore. I needed a place to focus my aggression, a valve to release the pressure building relentlessly in my skull. I needed to take my bloodlust out on someone, anyone.
Dhako appeared in the doorway behind me, fretting and wringing his hands. “Oh dear! Is she all right?”
I whirled on him, roaring. “I leave her in your care, and this is what I come home to? You were supposed to be looking after her, damn you!”
Dhako took a step backward, his eyes wide. “I… I offer my deepest and most sincere apologies, Blood Ruler. You are correct, of course, I should not have left her unattended…”
“Hey, no, don't yell at him for this!” Carly piped up, putting a hand on my shoulder. “It wasn't his fault! He was getting the food for me, it's not like he could watch me every single second. It was just an accident, it could have happened to anyone!”
By the stars, the blood…! I had to get her to the healer as quickly as possible so the wound could be closed, before I completely lost control of myself.
“I'll deal with you later, Dhako – but for now, send Khim up to the tower at once,” I snarled, turning to Carly. “I'm taking you up to your chamber. The healer will tend to you there.”
Dhako nodded, running off.
“I'm sure that's not necessary,” Carly protested. “All I need is a bandage for the scrapes on my arm and some time for my ankle to straighten out again, and I'll be just fine.”
I shook my head insistently. “I will decide what is necessary. We must be sure you're not more gravely injured. Now take hold of me, and I'll fly you up to your room.”
She gave me a bashful smile. “Well, I do like it when you flap me around from place to place… Fine, you win. Let's go.”
I lifted her up quickly before she could change her mind, flexed my wings to their fullest span, and took off for the tower window. Her lifeblood was soaking into my tunic, and my desire felt like hot wires being inserted in my brain, deeper and deeper.
“Wow, the view's so much cooler when I'm not looking at it from behind a window!” she breathed in my ear.
“I'm glad you enjoy it. I shall have to, as you say, flap you around the palace grounds more often.”
Carly laughed. “I'd like that, definitely.”
When we reached the topmost window of the tower, I held onto Carly tightly with one arm, using the other to undo the latch and open the pane.
“Locks from the outside,” she commented. “Yeah. Should have guessed that.”
I climbed in, depositing her gently on the bed just as there was a knock at the door. “Enter,” I announced.
The door opened and Khim rushed in, her ceremonial robes gathered up around her knees. She was the youngest healer ever to work at the Ruby Stronghold, and although she was immensely talented in her duties, she hadn't yet learned to move with the smooth, knowing, unhurried grace of her predecessors.
I appreciated that. I'd always felt there was a certain smugness, an arrogance and self-importance, in the serene way the other healers walked. As though they had all the time in the world. As though they were so certain in their abilities that they'd be able to heal whatever they encountered, or else it was entirely past healing – either way, they seemed to feel there was no dignity in rushing to find out.
Personally, I felt that if someone had called for a healer, the situation was almost certainly an emergency, and haste was therefore required.
“Blood Ruler! I came as soon as I heard. Are you wounded?”
“No, but our guest is.” I gestured to Carly, who was holding her arm at an odd angle to keep from bleeding on the sheets.
Khim seemed slightly taken aback by the identity of her new patient, but nevertheless, she wasted no time in crouching beside her to examine the arm and ankle. “Hmm. The abrasions are shallow, and there is minor straining of the tendons in her lower extremity. She doesn't appear to be in any danger.”
“Then stop her bleeding at once!”
A small smile played across Khim's lips, and for a moment, I thought she was going to make some flippant remark about how such a wound on a blood slave would ordinarily seem like an unexpected blessing – after all, Khim was known for being impertinent at times, even in situations when such behavior wasn't considered appropriate.
Instead, she nodded, reaching into the satchel she carried on her shoulder. “Certainly, Blood Ruler. This should only take a moment.”
“Ugh, you're not going to give me stitches, are you?” Carly groaned. “I hate stitches.”
Khim laughed. “No, we don't use ‘stitches’ here on Valkred… nor do we rely on leeches, trepanning, or any other primitive Earthling medical practice. Honestly, ‘stitches!’ The very idea!”
She removed a polished oval stone of blue marble hanging on a leather string, then held it just above Carly's arm, murmuring a few words in our native tongue. The cuts on Carly's arm glowed a corresponding shade of blue for a moment, and then the skin pulled itself together, healing rapidly. The last few rivulets of blood trickled down her skin, but their source had vanished completely.
“Thank you, Khim,” I said. It seemed I could finally breathe again.
She bowed. “I serve at your pleasure, Blood Ruler, as do we all. Would you like me to choose a… less-experienced healer
from my coterie, to see to the needs of your ‘guest’ in the future?”
I raised my eyebrows. “No, Khim, I believe you're quite suited to the task. Unless, of course, you feel that tending to the medical requirements of a human is somehow beneath the dignity of your station?” My voice was dripping with sarcasm.
“Not at all, Blood Ruler.” She paused, then added impishly, “As long as I'm here, would you like me to scrub the blood stains from the sheets and the floor, as well?”
I bared my fangs. “That will be all, Khim.”
She bowed again, making her exit without another word.
“She, um, doesn't seem to like me very much, does she?” Carly asked timidly. “But then again, I'm starting to feel like no one on this whole planet does.”
“Despite how frustrating you can be, your company is nonetheless pleasing to me ,” I replied briskly. “There is no need for you to question how others feel about you. Your continued presence here is what I want – that is all that matters. Come. Let us adjourn to my bedchamber, until one of the palace servants has had a chance to properly clean yours.”
Carly hopped out of bed, following me across the hall. “I still can't believe she was able to just magically heal me like that. What was that stone thingy she was holding over me?”
“It was a Gem of Sy'Torak. They contain powerful healing energies, when properly polished and engraved. They're extremely rare – they're only bestowed upon Valkred who ascend to the level of Venerable Healer.”
“Where do they come from?”
“We mine many precious gemstones from the caves beneath our planet's surface. Quite a few of them have fascinating properties. They're one of our primary sources of trade with other worlds and civilizations. Some have more minor healing or relaxing effects, some provide seemingly-endless sources of illumination, some power starships or have euphoric or intoxicating qualities.”