Bladen

by Arcadia Shield

  Gritting his teeth, he saw the door opposite him was partially open and flung himself through the doorway, pasting himself against the wall and slowing his breathing as he waited for the Fraken to pass.

  Frustration coursed through his veins. He had to get to Grace, had to break through the door before it was too late and he lost her. The footsteps slowed as they got outside the door.

  Bladen lunged out and speared the surprised looking Fraken through the neck with his knife.

  His fists clenched and heart pounding, Bladen grabbed the dead Fraken’s hand and pulled him towards the access panel of the locked room. He could use his scaled print to access the door.

  Grace was alone and unprotected. He was failing her, and he had to get her free. She was not going to feel fear and unhappiness any longer.

  Chapter 14

  Grace’s vision blurred as Laires struck her across the cheek.

  For several minutes, he’d been alternating between striking her and making small cuts on her arms as he’d leered at her and brandished a blade ever closer to Grace’s throat.

  Whatever the Deorg had given her meant she barely felt the cuts, but the hard strikes by a sharp scaled hand had left their mark and rattled her brain around until she felt sick.

  Grace looked over to see Tyran lounging against the wall next to two Fraken guards, who had entered the room just before the interrogation started. He was using one of his blades to clean his fingernails. She wished she could grab hold of Tyran and make him pay for siding with the Fraken.

  “What if I were to spare your warrior’s life?” asked Laires. “Would you be tempted to tell us what you know then?”

  “I wouldn’t trust you to keep your word that he would remain safe,” said Grace.

  “I will guarantee his safety. I can give him to you,” said Laires.

  “He’s not yours to give,” said Grace. “Bladen is a free alien and chooses what he wants to do with his life.”

  Tyran laughed and glanced up from his fingers. “Bladen is not free. None of the warriors who take part in these games are free. They wouldn’t be here if they were.”

  Laires hissed a warning at Tyran. “It is a privilege to be a part of these games.”

  “I’ll be sure to remember that,” said Tyran. “Although, I'll pass on any command to join the games.”

  “You will never take part,” said Laires. “Your fighting skills leave much to be desired.”

  Tyran stood abruptly and strode towards Laires. “I destroyed a warrior you could not.”

  “Because he was injured,” said Laires, as a smirk crossed his face. “If Bladen had been fully fit when you fought, he would have destroyed you with a single swipe of his blade. This woman could destroy you if she set her mind to it.”

  Grace watched the interaction with interest, seeing there was no respect or loyalty between Tyran and Laires. “You can still change sides,” she said to Tyran.

  Tyran glanced at her and smiled. “Which side do you think I should join?”

  “There would be a place for you with Bladen and the others.”

  “Be quiet,” snapped Laires.

  “And what would your warriors offer me?” asked Tyran. “Do you have an endless supply of e-credits, or the latest fighting blades, perhaps, or an expensive place to live full of willing female slaves?”

  “They would offer you a purpose,” said Grace, “something to fight for.”

  “I’m happy with the fight I have,” said Tyran. “I don’t need offerings from a group of failed warriors, who don’t know how to follow orders.”

  “They are not failing.” Grace met Tyran’s narrowed gaze. “They are going to win against you and against all of this.”

  A stinging blow from Tyran landed on Grace’s cheek and she tasted blood.

  “Enough of this,” snapped Laires.

  Tyran holstered his blade and moved closer to Grace. “Perhaps I can do something to you to get you to talk.” He ran his hand down her arm, his fingers brushing her breast as he did so.

  Grace shuddered in revulsion, and her mouth went dry. “You do whatever you have to do, but you still won’t get anything from me.”

  “I can have some fun trying,” said Tyran. His hands moved lower, and he squeezed Grace’s thigh. “And if you are good to me, I might keep you as a slave.”

  “She’s not yours to take,” said Laires. “You can have her when I’m finished. But there won’t be anything left worth having.”

  Cold terror slid through Grace’s veins as she watched the aliens calmly discuss what they were going to do with her. Her gaze went longingly to the table full of sharp instruments, but her hands were tied too tightly for her to reach them, and no amount of pulling on the restraints would get them free.

  Laughter slipped from Grace’s lips, making both Laires and Tyran stare at her.

  “What’s wrong with you?” asked Laires.

  “Nothing. Well, everything is wrong. Not with me, but with this situation.” Grace laughed again and realized she couldn’t stop. It kept pouring out of her, and she knew her mind was wavering again at the insanity of the situation.

  Laires struck her across the face again, but the laughter continued. Her stomach ached and tears slid from her eyes, but she couldn’t get control of herself.

  “Shut her up,” snapped Tyran. “Nobody laughs at me.”

  “They should,” gasped out Grace. “You’re pathetic.”

  Tyran raised his fist, just as one of the Fraken guards by the door collapsed and the lights went out.

  ***

  Bladen remained still as he adjusted to the gloom in the room. He had used the dead Fraken’s palm print to access the room’s cameras and had seen what Tyran and Laires were doing to Grace. It killed him to watch Tyran leer over Grace and place his hands on her body, but he’d held back until they were distracted and then killed the lights and accessed the door.

  He could hear four different individuals breathing in the room. The Fraken he’d taken out by the door was no longer breathing.

  “Get the lights back on, Laires,” barked Tyran. “What’s happening?”

  Bladen homed in on the sound of his voice. He knew where Tyran was now, but he had others to kill first.

  “Bladen, is that you?” said Tyran quietly. “I thought I’d left you for dead back in the game. Food for the sand weevils.”

  As much as Bladen longed to respond, he knew it would give Tyran an advantage if he did so. And he would need all the help he could get, once he got his hands on him.

  Bladen grabbed the second Fraken guard by the door and slit his throat before cradling his body so it hit the ground silently.

  “I know you’re in here,” said Tyran, his voice drifting through the darkness. “Have you come to save your woman? If so, you'll be disappointed. She has promised herself to me. I offered to spare her life in exchange for information about your escape. She grabbed the chance the second it was offered. You mean very little to her.”

  “Don’t believe a word he’s saying,” whispered Grace. “I’d never betray you.”

  The sound of flesh being struck made Bladen wince. He gritted his teeth and slid through the darkness. He knew Grace better than that, and even though they’d only spent a short time together, she was strong and wouldn’t break under interrogation.

  He could hear her panicked gasps in the middle of the room and approached slowly, his blade held out and senses on high alert as he tracked the movements of the others.

  Something dashed past Bladen’s face, and he recoiled. It wasn’t a blade, but it smelt like the lizard stench of a Fraken.

  Ducking down, Bladen stepped forward and inhaled deeply. Yes, a Fraken was close. He would take him out first.

  Before he could take another step, the lights were turned back on, and Bladen saw Laires standing right in front of him. He slashed out with his blade, slicing through Laires’ exposed scaly arm.

  With a cry of pain, Laires leapt backwards. Bladen wasted n
o time and rammed the blade through his throat.

  Laires gurgled out his final breath as he slumped to the floor.

  Bladen spun around and was confronted with Tyran standing by the door, his own blade raised and a smirk on his face.

  “You’re next,” said Bladen, as he pointed his bloody blade towards Tyran.

  Tyran raised his eyebrows. “You seem remarkably well for someone who should be dead. Have you been getting some help?”

  “Maybe you’re not the warrior you make out you are,” said Bladen. “Your aim was off when you stabbed me.”

  Tyran’s eyes narrowed, but then he gave a nod as if answering a question he was asking himself. “How about a compromise?”

  “With you?” snorted Bladen. “Never going to happen.” He spun his blade in his hand. This traitor was going to die.

  A panicked gasp from Graced lanced through his concentration, and he glanced at her and saw her strapped to the table, her face bruised and bloody and arms dripping with blood.

  “Did you do that to her?” Bladen demanded as his gaze lasered in on Tyran.

  “I barely touched her.” Tyran gave a shrug. “That was all thanks to our scaly friend down there.” He pointed to the body of Laires.

  “But you didn’t stop him,” growled Bladen. “Vortens don’t exploit those who are vulnerable.”

  “Depends which side you’re on.” Tyran lowered his blade a fraction. “But how about it, a compromise? You let me leave, and you can have the woman.”

  “Scared to fight me?”

  “I don’t want to humiliate you again. Not in front of your woman.”

  “She’s not mine. And you don’t say who gets to have her,” growled Bladen.

  “That’s funny; she said the same thing about you,” said Tyran.

  “And I don’t choose Tyran,” spat out Grace.

  Bladen nodded. “You deserve to die,” he said to Tyran. “You’re the disloyal one, here. You’ve chosen to side with our enemy, someone who has exploited us for too long.”

  “Grace said I can join you,” said Tyran. “And since she is a free woman, I assume that offer still stands.” He slid his gaze to Grace and smirked. “Or did you offer me something you can’t deliver? Were you lying to me, little Grace?”

  “You can’t be trusted,” said Bladen. “You would stab us in the back and betray us at the earliest opportunity.”

  “That’s always a possibility,” said Tyran. “If you don’t pay well, there are others who will.”

  “For what price?” Bladen growled, raised his blade, and advanced on Tyran.

  Tyran grabbed a beaker of liquid from the counter and flung it in Bladen’s eyes.

  He swept it out of his eyes and swung his blade, but Tyran was already out the door, and it was sliding shut behind him.

  Bladen ran to the door but stopped as he heard a sob shake from Grace’s mouth.

  “Let him go,” she said. “We have a bigger fight on our hands.”

  Bladen dashed to her side and untied the restraints. He checked over the cuts on Grace’s arms and then pulled her into a hard embrace. After feeling her resist for a few seconds, she relaxed, and her arms went around him.

  “I came as quickly as I could,” said Bladen. “I thought I’d lost you at one point. Your tracks vanished.” It felt so good to hold her against him.

  “I’m amazed you’re here,” said Grace. “When we left you in the sand, I was sure you were going to bleed out. I tried to treat your injury, but Tyran dragged me here.”

  “I’m as amazed as you,” said Bladen. “And I would have perished by now, but I got help from some allies on the inside. They gave me something to remove the poison and repair my injuries.”

  “The other aliens in the lab?” Grace pulled back and looked at Bladen. “They work with you?”

  “They must. And I’m surprised, too,” said Bladen. “I didn’t expect to find help here.”

  “It’s still not safe, though,” said Grace. “We need to get out.”

  “We do; we have to go back into the game.” Bladen helped Grace down from the bench. “Are you strong enough to walk?”

  “I have to be,” said Grace. “I can’t ask you to carry me when your leg is wounded.”

  Bladen smiled at her. “I’d carry you if I had to. And I’m stuffed full of nanobots; they’re already healing my leg. It will be good as new before long.”

  The door slid open, and three sharp-faced, angry looking Fraken stood in front of them, lightning sticks in their hands.

  Bladen grabbed the two lightning sticks from the guards he’d killed and handed one to Grace. “Point and shoot.”

  “Got it,” said Grace.

  They ducked behind the bench as the Fraken opened fire with their lasers.

  Bladen focused on one Fraken and hit him in the chest. Grace got the next one. The final Fraken was struck at the same time as they discharged their weapons in unison.

  Bladen grabbed Grace’s hand and pulled her to her feet. “Let’s get out of here.”

  Chapter 15

  Grace hurried along beside Bladen, his strong grip on her hand reassuring as they hurried along the grey corridors back towards the exit and into the hateful game.

  He had come to save her! And whatever Bladen had planned for them in this game, she’d follow him. He’d tried repeatedly to gain her trust and show her he would never hurt her, but she hadn’t believed him. Until now.

  “You doing okay?” whispered Bladen.

  “I’m fine,” said Grace. Even though her lungs ached and her arms were beginning to throb from the cuts Laires inflicted, she felt safe by his side.

  Bladen yanked her towards him and covered her with his body as the sound of hurried footsteps approached.

  Grace held her breath until the footsteps passed.

  “They didn’t see us.” Bladen grabbed her hand again, and they hurried onwards.

  “We should try to find a way out through these tunnels,” said Grace. “Do we have to go back in the game?”

  “It’s too risky,” said Bladen. “The Fraken will know the tunnel layout better than we do. We could end up down a dead-end and cut off. There are places we can hide in the game, and that’s where Axen is going to get us out.” He glanced over at Grace, and his expression softened. “I know going back will not be easy or pleasant, but that’s our best option. Are you up for it?”

  Grace nodded, despite the fact returning to the game filled her stomach with acid. Back in the game, they were exposed and vulnerable and could be watched by the audience to see how quickly they’d die.

  “This way,” said Bladen, as he tugged on her hand.

  Grace gripped his fingers as they sped along, only slowing when they heard the sound of Fraken getting near, and hiding in the shadows or in empty rooms.

  “They’re all heading towards the medical lab,” said Bladen. “They must have been alerted you’ve escaped. Once they’ve searched these tunnels, they’ll send troops into the game.”

  “Then your friend needs to get us out quickly,” said Grace. “Or maybe we can stay here and fight, hole up in a room and defend ourselves.”

  “Two lightning sticks will only get us so far,” said Bladen. He stopped by a closed door, jammed his blade into the access panel, and then pressed several wires together. The door slid open, revealing the hot sandy environment of the game.

  Grace swallowed before stepping through the door.

  “We need to keep moving,” said Bladen. “Put as much distance between us and the Fraken as we can.”

  They dashed along, keeping close to the solid rock face, although it didn’t provide much in the way of shelter or respite from the sun that blazed down on them. Drones buzzed above their head, getting close enough for Bladen to knock several out of the sky with rocks.

  Bladen kept urging Grace to go faster, and she gritted her teeth as she tried to match his pace. The heat and her injuries were making each step feel torturous.

  After ten minu
tes of running, Grace was gasping and her lungs burned. “Need to take a break.”

  Bladen took one look at her, scooped her into his arms, and kept running.

  “I didn’t mean for you to do that,” gasped Grace. “We should both rest.”

  “This way, we can keep moving,” said Bladen.

  Grace fought against her instinct to fight. She was exhausted, and the infection in her lungs made every breath painful. If Bladen wasn’t carrying her, she’d have collapsed by now, and she didn’t want to let them down and be the reason Fraken caught them.

  Grace wrapped her arms around Bladen’s neck and held on as he continued to run across the sand. He smelt of battle sweat, and his skin camouflage shifted to a light sand color before changing to match her own skin tone. She resisted the urge to nuzzle against his neck.

  “I hope they didn’t injure you too badly,” said Bladen. “I’m sorry I didn’t get to you sooner.”

  “I’ve still got all of my limbs,” said Grace. “So, I’m counting that as a win.”

  “What did they want from you?”

  “They wanted to know about your plans to escape.”

  “I thought they might,” growled Bladen. “They’ll do everything they can to stop us from getting out of this game.”

  “But we’ll get out,” said Grace, feeling Bladen’s solid arm muscles tighten around her as she spoke. “I trust you to make it happen.”

  “Now that we’re together, it will. We’re getting out of here.”

  After twenty minutes of running, Bladen began to slow, and his breathing grew harsh.

  “Take a break,” said Grace. “Carrying me on your injured leg must be painful.”

  “I barely feel you,” said Bladen, but he slowed his pace to a fast walk.

  “Any ill effects from the poison?” She studied Bladen’s skin, and although it was covered in sweat from his exertion, the color looked healthier.

  “I don’t feel it,” said Bladen. He slowed and placed Grace on the ground. His worried gaze ran over her, and he pushed some of her hair from her face.

  “I’m fine,” said Grace. “They didn’t do much damage to me. It was mainly threats. They were too busy bickering with each other.”