by Eve Langlais
As if thinking of her triggered something, she shivered, but he couldn’t tell if it was fear or cold from the breeze that arose. It left exposed skin chilly and damp. But would the rain help or hinder? Water and oil could be a nasty mix. Add in fire…
“We need a hand getting across,” he shouted.
“I got you covered,” was Tanzie’s reply as she reached for something strapped to her back. She’d brought the portable plank. Never knew when a pirate might need to board something.
The thin metal, much like his hook, unfolded and projected across the crevice, seemingly paper thin and yet sturdier than real wood or thick metal. It sat at an angle from the lip on their side down to the tunnel his crew stood in. A tunnel they had to reach.
He grabbed Shereen by the hands and had her face him. “Can you get across?”
She glanced at him then the narrow bridge before nodding.
“Go first. I’ll be right behind.” Guarding their rear, because his gut said they were about to have company.
She stepped onto the plank and paused.
“You need to move, princess.”
“Don’t call me princess,” she retorted as she took another step. “My name is Shereen.”
“If you’re going to take teeny-tiny mincing steps, then I’m going to call you princess, and if I survive the fact you’re moving so slow, I promise that later you will be calling me your king.”
She cast him a sly glance over her shoulder. “Was that a marriage proposal? Because I could use a good king by my side once I take back my kingdom.”
“What? N-no!” he stammered. “That’s not what I meant at all.”
She winked. “Now, now. Don’t get bashful. I accept.”
“You can’t accept. I didn’t propose.” He kept muttering as she increased her pace, her steps surer now that the cold wind had died down.
Only once she was three-quarters of the way did he start to follow.
“Might want to step faster, Capn,’” Jorah remarked
“Incoming,” Tanzie shouted.
Shereen reached safety, and Darius darted as fast as he dared over the narrow plank. Tanzie shifted to the edge of their opening and began firing her rifle. Not the most promising thing, nor was the vibration of the board.
“Hold on,” Jorah yelled.
“Not again.” Having done this before, Darius knew to drop and hug the plank, holding on for dear life as Jorah dragged it toward him. It dipped as it lost the steadying aspect of the far edge.
The plank tilted, and his body wanted to slide. He wrapped himself tight and refused to fall as Jorah pulled him in to safety.
“Darius, watch out!” Shereen’s shriek gave him scant warning.
A body slammed into him, and teeth bit his shoulder. Unable to let go and fight, Darius bellowed instead.
“Do something!” Shereen screamed.
“I can’t shoot. I might hit the captain,” Tanzie hollered back.
“We have to help him!”
The wind suddenly bit at his skin again, and the air felt charged with electricity. The throb in his shoulder weakened his arm, but before he lost his grip, the plank rose high enough that Tanzie could finally aim. Bang. The grip on him loosened before falling away.
Darius hit the tunnel groaning, “Fuck me but that hurts.”
“Oh my goodness, let me help you.” Shereen hit her knees beside him.
He had no time to bask in her concern.
“More of them are jumping!” Tanzie yelled.
At the warning, Darius had no choice but to spring to his feet. The dagger in his good hand fended off the chimpeti that managed to get into the tunnel. It came at him teeth bared, its eyes wild in the moonlight. More of them peeked around the edge, the rough walls of the crevice apparently providing adequate hand and footholds.
“Get the princess out of here,” Darius ordered, facing the enemy.
The wind swirled inside the tunnel, spattering them with rain, but a few drops of water wouldn’t stop the creatures that braved the rift. They shoved past Darius, and he fell under a tangle of bodies, only barely managing to hold on to his knife.
They made it past him and attacked Shereen. He heard her pained cry and roared, throwing bodies from him. Rising to his feet, he whirled to see her holding her side, facing off against a large male.
Darius lifted his knife and threw it. It flipped end over end and hit the creature in the back, just as lightning struck.
Inside the tunnel.
He wasn’t sure what killed the chimpeti, knife or a zillion volts, but the creature dropped, and a moment later, Darius held Shereen in his arms. He ignored the cracks of the gun behind him. There were only a few enemy left. Jorah and Tanzie could handle it while he took care of more important matters.
“How bad is your side?” he asked, his tone ripe with concern.
“Not bad,” Shereen lied, her pale expression and the pain pulling her features plain to see.
“Show me.”
“No time.” She shook her head. “I’ll be fine.”
“Liar,” Tanzie stated. “We can’t have her slowing us down. Someone has to carry her.”
“I’m fine,” Shereen insisted. “I can run.”
An ululation at the edge of the crevice was answered by far-off voices.
“You’d better, because we need to go.” He couldn’t have stated it more grimly.
He dragged Shereen with him, and she proved true to her word, her legs pumping as she kept up with them. Tanzie led, Jorah blundering behind, the passageway marked not only by the evidence of the chimpetis and their filth but also the signs they’d left when passing.
Even when they left behind the yells of the chimpeti, they didn’t slow down, not until they emerged at the building on the far end. They exited into the jungle to the waning of the moons as the three pieces separated. As darkness fell, stillness descended over the woods.
They kept moving. They had no choice. The ship provided the only means of safety.
When Shereen finally faltered, Jorah swung her into his arms. Tired and injured, Darius knew better than to argue.
They traveled for hours, barely stopping, and when Darius remarked on the stillness of the woods, Jorah just said, “Chimpetis like to eat.”
As they emerged onto the shore where they’d docked, the bright lights of his ship were a welcome beacon. Of concern, they showed an empty deck.
Strange.
Darius slowed down and eyed the Avenger.
“What’s wrong?” Shereen asked, having woken a short while ago. She was running with them again.
“No one is in the nest.”
“Maybe they’re taking a break.”
While docked in a strange place? Unlikely. Just like he should have heard the pinging of the Eegullai.
He caught Shereen swaying from the corner of his eye. “Whoa, princess. No fainting.”
“Sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” she said softly, going limp in his arms.
“It’s been a rough night.” It didn’t help that a storm had dogged their steps the entire way, but at least it might muddle their trail with the chimpetis.
“Let’s get you to the ship.”
The skiff remained where they’d beached it. He and Jorah manned the oars.
When they reached the ship, Tanzie leaped off first. “I’m gonna see what’s up with the crew.” She quickly climbed the ladder and leaped over the side.
He heard no yells.
A moment later she peeked over the edge. “I don’t see nothing. Bridge is empty, as is the nest. I’m going to peek below.”
“Want me ta go look, too?” Jorah asked.
“We should both go. We need to dress Shereen’s wound.” They’d wrapped it during one of their breaks, but it needed medicine before an infection set in. Darius turned to her. “I’m going to have to put you over my shoulder for the climb, which will suck, but it’s only for a minute.”
She hissed as he changed her to th
e new spot but said nothing as he muscled his way up the ladder and put his feet on the deck. The sense of wrongness persisted.
“Tanzie should be back by now,” Darius muttered, turning to Jorah. His bionic eye picked up an odd wavering in the air. He blinked and kept his good eye shut. Cursed at what his bionic one discerned. “Intruders!”
But it was already too late. Whatever device cloaked them was shut off and two men in gray uniforms stood there, holding guns on Jorah. A hint of movement to his left showed he had his own threat, too.
“Who are you?” Darius demanded. “What are you doing on my ship?”
It was the fellow who stepped into view from around the side of the bridge housing that replied. “I am Captain Augustus of the Lazuli Empire, and I am here to take you into custody.”
“Surely we can discuss this,” Darius said, slowly shifting Shereen to her feet. She clung to him.
“You may speak to your heart’s content once we reach the capital. Seize them.”
Which, in Lazuli, apparently meant shoot!
Chapter 15
Shereen awoke in a bed, which—considering her last memory was of being carried onto the ship—proved jarring. She stared at a ceiling made of seamless composite. She turned her head to the side and noted the same material for the walls. No sign of any windows nor even any art.
The bed she lay on had an astringent scent to it, the kind that indicated intense cleaning. No hint of floral fragrance or perfume. The sheet covering her was fairly utilitarian, not soft, not rough. Functional fabric.
As she moved, a twinge in her side reminded her of the injury she’d gotten from those animals. She went questing for the soreness on her side, no longer the throbbing agony she recalled. Her fingers met a bandage tied around her middle. Her naked middle.
It occurred to her that she was quite nude under the sheets. Who had undressed her? Not that she’d been wearing much, just a certain pirate’s shirt.
Speaking of whom, where was Darius? She sat up and looked around, holding the fabric to her chest. The room was barren of decoration or even furniture, but she did see a few seams in the wall. Tugging the sheet free, she wrapped it sarong style and set her feet on the floor, which ended up warmer than expected. As a matter of fact, the temperature in the room proved comfortable, neither too hot nor too cold.
Reaching the first seam in the wall, she ran her fingers along it and jumped when it slid aside, revealing a chamber with a toilet. The next lines in the wall opened onto a closet where simple gray jumpsuits and a robe hung, with slippers lining the bottom. The next set of seams didn’t respond no matter how she groped the wall.
Obviously, her way out of the room had a lock.
Given she didn’t know how long her captors would leave her alone, she used the bathing chamber, which had a hidden shower that activated suddenly when she put her hand in the wrong place. She appreciated the cleansing, though. The jumpsuit in the closet was the right size, if not very flattering. At least it beat being naked.
A noise at her back had her whirling to see the bed fold, as if hinged, and attach itself to the wall. From its frame a table dropped, along with a pair of bench seats. A slot opened, and a tray with a bowl and a cup slid out. She sat down and eyed them both. It appeared to be water and some kind of paste.
She drank the chemical-tasting fluid and ate, though not with gusto given the blandness of the mush. Only too late did it occur to her to wonder if it had been drugged. Once the thought entered her mind, she imagined all kinds of scenarios. As the minutes passed and her stomach didn’t cramp, nor did she feel sleepy, she relaxed, only to tense up as the door she’d failed to open before suddenly slid to the side.
Almost falling off the bench, Shereen sprang to her feet and confronted the person in the doorway. A rather benign looking gent wearing a long gray robe, his hands tucked into his sleeves. His head bald but for a ring of white hair.
“Who are you? Where am I? What have you done with Darius?” The questions emerged in a torrent with no time for him to reply.
He didn’t seem disturbed. He smiled. “You may call me Pomme. I am to be your liaison while you are our guest, Princess Shereen of Sapphire.”
The use of her name and title startled. “You know who I am?”
“I should hope so since it was I who extended the invitation to our city many months ago.”
“Wait, you mean…” She glanced around, suddenly grasping the situation. “I’m in the Lazuli capital.”
Pomme smiled. “Welcome to Sylacona.”
“I don’t understand. How did I get here?” Her brow furrowed. “Your soldiers shot us.” Her memories of the time might be fuzzy, but of that she was suddenly certain.
“They sedated you in order to bring you safely into the city.”
“How is considered safe to attack people and put them to sleep?” She couldn’t help a note of irritation.
“Experience has shown us that it is easier to reason with people one-on-one in a controlled environment.”
“Did experience also explain that it doesn’t exactly build trust?” she muttered.
“Perhaps we should rewind a bit and make it clear that we mean you no harm. It’s why we came to your aid in the jungle.”
“How did you even know where I was?”
“When we received notification that a ship was sailing up the Crocanile, we sent out scouts. Upon discovering you were aboard, and obviously intending to accept our offer, we immediately had our soldiers rush to your aid.” Pomme’s reply appeared too simple.
“I still don’t grasp why you shot us if you wanted to help. Why not say, hey, we’re here to give you safe passage.”
Finally, Pomme shifted, as if discomfited. “A regrettable error. In their eagerness to return you to Sylacona, the extraction team chose the speed of tranquilizing you and all your travel companions over explanation.”
“Wait, you mean to say you put us all to sleep?” That implied Darius was here. “Are my friends also your guests? Are they okay?” She couldn’t quell her haste in asking.
“Yes, although the captain did not recover from the sedative as promptly as his crew. It took quite a few doses to put him down, but we expect he will shortly, given you just woke up.”
As if speaking of Darius were a catalyst, the door opened and a younger more harried version of Pomme appeared. “Doctor Pomme. You are urgently needed.”
“Calm yourself, Betrav. We are a place of science, not drama.”
“Sorry, Doctor. We are having issues with the pirate.”
“I take it he’s woken.”
“Yes, and he’s very agitated.”
The news had Shereen rolling on the balls of her feet. Darius was nearby.
“Perhaps seeing the princess safe will assuage him. Shall we?” The doctor indicated the door with his head, and she didn’t wait.
She exited the room into a utilitarian hall, just a series of doors and overhead light. More of the same composite on the ceilings and walls. It lacked windows or a visible means of escape, but the straight hall made it easy to see the source of agitation. A man was tossed from an open doorway, where he hit the wall and slid down it.
A moment after, Darius emerged, wearing a jumpsuit only to the waist, the legs of it snug on his body and hanging low off his hips. It barely fit, and the sight of him did cause a flutter despite the situation.
He immediately zeroed in on her. “Princess!” he bellowed. “Are you all right?”
Her nose wrinkled. “I thought we’d agreed to not use that name.”
“You suggested. I ignored,” was his reply as he strode up the hall as if he owned it.
“Anyone ever tell you that you’re annoying?” she said, not meaning one word of it. She’d never been happier to see someone. Correction, she was always happy to see Darius. What that meant she couldn’t yet say.
“Me, annoying? You’re breaking my heart.” He smiled. It had a devastating effect on her that was ruined by Pomme clearing hi
s throat.
“Greetings, Captain Darius of the famed Ocean Avenger. It is our honor to have you visiting our capital.”
“Honor?” he snorted. “You invaded my ship.”
Pomme retained his placid expression. “A ship that is quite safe in our harbor. As is your crew. They’re all currently aboard. Given your injuries, we thought it best to treat you here.”
The words drew Darius’s gaze to her. “Are you okay? Did they heal your wound?”
Pomme replied, “Not so much heal as keep it clean and uninfected. We also have a cream that helped things along over the past two days.”
“Two days?” Darius growled, swinging his attention back to the doctor.
Pomme shrugged. “The sleeping potion can be potent to full humans.”
The use of those particular words struck an odd note with her, but before she could question what he meant, Darius shifted to place himself between her and Pomme. “Why did you take us?”
“To help the princess of course.” Pomme’s gray eyes turned on her, and she knew he meant the smile to be benevolent, and yet she sensed an undercurrent to it.
“Help?” Darius snorted. “I’ve seen examples of your kind of help. I won’t allow her to be some medical experiment, Doctor.”
“I’m afraid you’re too late.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Shereen asked with a frown.
“You might not remember us, princess, but we remember you. You were much younger, of course, the last time we saw you. Barely out of diapers. Your father was quite adamant we keep our visits with you a secret.”
Her lips were stiff as she said, “I don’t understand.”
“Spit it out before I knock it out of you,” Darius growled.
“The reason we offered to help the princess is because we are the only ones who can reverse what her father had us do.”
A roar of white noise filled her head, and she heard herself faintly say, “What do you mean? What did my father do?”
“At his request, we suppressed your powers when you were but a small child.”
A loud boom shook the building, thunderclap after thunderclap. She pressed her hands to her ears to block the sound but couldn’t stop the truth from hammering its way in, a storm inside her heart and head until she couldn’t take it anymore.