Neverwylde

by Linda Mooney

  On the ship, D’har Plat’s rule had been harsh and unforgiving. On board, he’d had the full authority of the Seneecian Alliance to back him. Any crew member who raised his ire was at the man’s mercy, which could be swift and bloody. It was their way. It was Seneecian law—to dismiss and be rid of those found weak and unsuitable, rather than attempt any sort of compromise or collaboration. Or rehabilitation.

  Kyber frowned. Since he and the others crashed on this odd planet, they’d been forced to abandon all things Seneecian and Terran in order to survive. The question was, could the D’har let go of protocol? Kyber believed he already knew the answer.

  “Por D’har!” D’har Plat’s voice reverberated down the length of the narrow corridor.

  Kyber stopped, turning around to await what the man had to say. In the pale gleam from their tube lights, the white-furred Seneecian appeared to glow.

  “How far down are you taking us?”

  “I do not know the exact depth, D’har. By my estimate, we are almost there.” Without waiting for an answer, Kyber resumed the downward hike.

  If the D’har’s method remained true to form, Kyber expected the other two to subtly take new positions, one in the middle of the line and the other near the front, close to him. Two hundred meters further down, he sensed someone coming up behind him. A quick glance proved his instincts were correct. Verin met his eyes but said nothing as he remained at Kyber’s heels.

  Within another hour, the lights in the atrium filtered into the tunnel, guiding them. As they filed into the open area, Kyber glanced around at the closed doorways. The place looked empty.

  “Is this our destination?” the D’har inquired. The man continued to speak in Seneecian. He would not use Terranese until he was ready, and only then when he had to directly address them.

  Kyber kept his back to the commander. “Yes. We’re here,” he answered in Terranese, knowing it would inevitably infuriate the D’har at some point. But the Terrans needed to remain aware of what was being said.

  “Where are the others you told me about?”

  “They’re here. Inside their apartments.”

  “What apartments? Call them out. Now.”

  Bowing his head, Kyber peered from the corner of his eye. Verin’s blaster remained on him. The D’har had the three Terrans in his line of fire. That would mean Kleesod’s weapon was trained on Gaveer and Massapa. At this point, the odds were not in Plat’s favor. Kyber suspected the commander was about to attempt a coup. He took a deep breath.

  “Hello! Where is everyone?”

  As he expected, Kelen was the first to burst from their apartment. The joyous smile on her beautiful face instantly disappeared as she grasped the situation. She skidded to a halt and stared at him with apprehension.

  “I must admit, it didn’t take you as long as I thought it wo—” Sandow came to a jerky halt as he also spotted the three new Seneecians, all of whom had blasters trained on Kyber and the others. The physician’s face reddened with anger. “Who are you?”

  “This is D’har Plat, of the warship Ist Umberu.” Kyber made the introductions.

  “D’har!” Tojun emerged from his apartment, a surprised look on his face as he cradled his arm. The Seneecian glanced at the other two new visitors. “Kleesod! Verin! You survived! Thanks be to the gods.”

  Kyber mentally noted the two crew members smiling back at Tojun. On the other hand, the D’har barely acknowledged the wounded man.

  “You said there were five others,” the D’har remarked.

  “He wants to know where the others are,” Kyber interpreted.

  Sandow pointed behind him. “I have a sick man inside my apartment. Our fifth member is at work in that apartment there.”

  “Por Veenosh Massapa.” The D’har made a motion with his hand, indicating Verin should hand his blaster over to the Seneecian. Massapa glanced at Kyber, but accepted the weapon.

  The D’har indicated Massapa to go over to the doorway. Giving a nod, Massapa left his position and hurried over to where Dox was located. “Dox, this is Massapa. Please open up.” He beat on the door but there was no answer. He looked back at his commander for instructions.

  “Blow it open.”

  The Seneecian was visibly shaken, and Kyber understood why.

  “Reconsider, D’har. If Dox is standing directly on the other side, the blast will kill him.”

  The D’har’s eyes narrowed. “Are you countermanding my orders?”

  “I am asking you to reconsider,” Kyber repeated.

  Tension filled the area like a thick, invisible fog. Kyber could almost taste it, harsh and bitter, like blood on his tongue.

  Hissing softly, the D’har waved a hand at Massapa, although his gaze remained fixed on Kyber. “You were instructed what to do. Do it!”

  Hesitantly, Massapa raised the blaster and aimed it at the portal.

  “No! Wait! Don’t!” Kelen yelled, rushing over to the Seneecian. “Let us try to get him to answer it.” She threw a pleading look at the D’har, her eyes lighting on Mellori. “We’ll get him to open it. Paul?”

  The ex-engineer detached himself from the group and walked over to the door.

  “Hey, Dox! It’s me. Open up.”

  The door remained shut.

  “Blow it,” the D’har reiterated.

  When Massapa lifted his weapon again, Kelen ran over to the door and pounded on it with her fist.

  “Dox! Dox, Code Black! Code Black! Open up!”

  Mere seconds later, the door dropped into the ground. Dox emerged, sleepy-eyed and curious.

  “Hi, Kelen!” He started to say more when Verin strode over, grabbed him by the arm, and jerked the little man out of the doorway. A hard shove was enough to convince Dox to join the others in the center of the atrium.

  “That is four. Where is the other?” The request was more of a command, and Kyber knew where this was heading. D’har Plat was gradually bringing the other Seneecians back under his authority. Years of service and submission was difficult, if not impossible, to dismiss. Not when a commander like Plat rode their backs.

  Except there was one question that continued to loom at Kyber. If he chose to challenge the D’har, would Verin and Kleesod accept him as their new leader? He knew, without a doubt, that Massapa, Gaveer, and Tojun would continue to support him. But with Plat’s return, they could be faced with no choice but to accept him as their commander.

  Sandow glanced from Kyber, then to the D’har. Raising his hand, he then pointed it toward his apartment. “Our second in command is in there. I’ve declared him mentally incompetent and no longer fit to command.”

  “Bring him out here.”

  Kyber translated for the physician.

  Sandow shook his head. “Sorry but he’s been restrained.”

  “Release him.” Surprisingly, the demand was in Terranese.

  The physician refused to budge. “My apologies again, D’har, but that’s not possible. He’s a menace to himself and to the rest of us. If I release him, he will attack. Not may attack. Will.”

  “I understand,” the D’har said. “Kith Gaveer!”

  Gaveer straightened and faced the D’har. The commander held out his blaster, which Gaveer accepted.

  “Kill the bound prisoner,” the D’har ordered.

  Chapter 15

  Banishment

  “No.”

  Kyber responded before anyone could protest. A few meters away, Kelen gave him a look he couldn’t read. He saw anger, but he also saw helplessness. It was as if she was silently begging him to do something.

  He’s one of you. You have to stop him! Stop him before this goes too far!

  Kyber gave Gaveer a hard glare. “Put down the blaster.”

  “Kith Gaveer, you were given a direct order,” the D’har repeated in a darker voice.

  The moment had come. Kyber turned to directly face the commander.

  “And he is no longer bound to obey.”

  A slight flush came ove
r the D’har’s countenance, but Kyber got the impression the man had been expecting this to occur. The commander smiled until he revealed the tips of his long teeth. The threat was clear.

  “Are you challenging my authority, Por D’har?” The man’s voice was tight, restrained. But he was also weaponless. However, for a trained Seneecian, that was a small detail. His talons and teeth could do considerable damage if the two of them were reduced to hand-to-hand combat. And if it came down to an official challenge, tooth and nail was all they would be allowed to use.

  Kyber mentally assessed his physical deterioration. Had he just the deep wound in his hip to contend with, he would have given himself even odds against the older man. But with the blaster wound in his shoulder, which affected his entire arm and hand, the odds were heavily against him. He was at a disadvantage, but he couldn’t show any weakness to the D’har. He couldn’t allow the man to know how injured he was.

  With the exception of the one question, Plat continued to speak in Seneecian, deliberately keeping the Terrans in the dark about their conversation. Likewise, Kyber continued to semi-translate by responding in Terranese.

  “I am not contesting your commands, D’har. You do not understand our present circumstances. You do not understand the treaty by which we abide.”

  “I am not bound by your treaty.”

  Kyber paused. Taking a deep mental breath, he answered slowly. “Yes. You are.”

  His rebuttal sparked immediate anger from the D’har, as he expected. He watched as the man’s attention shot away from him, to land on the other three Seneecians who stood behind Kyber. The division was immediately clear who stood with whom.

  Snorting, the D’har directed his next question at Sandow, and in Terranese. “You say your commander is unfit to lead?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then who is your leader?”

  The physician automatically looked to Kyber, as did the other Seneecians. From the way the D’har narrowed his eyes, Kyber knew the challenge was about to be issued.

  “No one’s directly in charge.”

  Kyber glanced in shock as Kelen walked over and stood directly in front of the D’har.

  “Everyone’s opinion counts. It has to,” she insisted. “We are all dependent on each other. Therefore, we allow everyone to state their beliefs and disbeliefs before a plan of action is agreed upon.”

  D’har Plat reared back his head. The look of disgust on his white-furred face was unmistakable, and Kyber understood why. Females did not defy the males. Lesser ranking crew members did not correct their superiors. And worse, Terrans did not flout the authority of a Seneecian.

  “Return to your abode, female.” The command was terse. Dismissive.

  “My abode is right here, with my fellow crew members,” Kelen snapped, crossing her arms over her breasts. The action drew the D’har’s gaze to that area of her body.

  “Are you the only female?”

  “Yes.”

  On one hand, Kyber had to admire Kelen’s bravery, but he was also frightened by her audacity. She may have been taught somewhat about Seneecian protocol, but she was stepping into lethal territory with her attitude. Holding his fear in check, Kyber waited to see what Plat’s next move would be.

  The man’s gaze swept over them all. “How many of these do you service?”

  “What do you mean?” Kelen requested. A moment later, she gasped as the implication sank in.

  The D’har waved a dismissive hand in front of her face. “You must learn your place, skint.”

  Kyber didn’t miss Sandow’s astonishment, nor the doctor’s pleading look he threw his way. This unspoken standoff could not continue. The time had come when someone had to defy the D’har. Defy his leadership and his authority, including his ability to command. Knowing there was no one else who could take on the man, Kyber knew he would have to shoulder that responsibility.

  He took a small step forward, close enough to place a hand on Kelen’s shoulder, but he kept his eyes locked on Plat.

  “Kelen’s place is beside me. She and I have Committed to each other, and we have done the ritual Cleansing. All that is left is the Confirmation.”

  He saw a faint smile come over Sandow’s face, and his earlier belief that the man had already figured out their relationship was affirmed. The others, however, appeared either stupefied or curious. But anger was quickly building in the D’har. As Kelen stepped back and placed her hand on top of Kyber’s where it rested on her shoulder, Kyber lifted his chin.

  “By my words and my actions, I am announcing that Kelen and I—”

  A loud roar cut him off, and Kyber was knocked off his feet as the D’har slammed into him. Instinctively, Kyber shoved her away, out of the line of attack, right before he fell heavily onto his wounded hip.

  White hot pain ripped through him and a groan rattled in his throat. But the D’har wasn’t finished. Throwing himself on top of Kyber, the commander started slashing at his face. With his good arm trapped underneath the D’har’s legs, Kyber tried to ward off the blows with his injured arm. He felt the man’s claws sink into his flesh, but he couldn’t feel the talons tearing into him.

  He was aware of Mellori and Sandow trying to reach him as they attempted to drag the D’har off, but Kleesod and Verin restrained them. On the sidelines, Gaveer, Tojun, and Massapa watched in horror. They wouldn’t intervene. They couldn’t. To do so would be an instant death sentence if the D’har succeeded in overpowering and killing him.

  He tried to lift his hips, but the man was too heavy. Blood was already dripping down his arm, falling onto his chest and face. He tried to roll over when he heard a shriek.

  “Get off him, you fucking sneek!”

  Before he could yell at her to not interfere, Kelen launched herself at the D’har. Throwing her arms around the commander’s neck, she continued to propel herself forward. Her action and leverage dragged the D’har off Kyber, enough to where he could roll away in the opposite direction.

  Struggling to his feet, Kyber whirled around to see the D’har holding Kelen by the throat. Already, she was choking as the man’s blood-stained talons continued to close around her windpipe. But she remained defiant, lashing out with her own fingernails, leaving little ineffective furrows in the D’har’s pelt.

  Plat grinned again. “Try to make that Confirmation again, Por D’har, and I’ll crush her life.” The grin widened. “Go ahead. Say it. Say the Confirmation.”

  Kyber shook his head to remove the blood from his face. Kelen was beginning to turn blue. Her eyes were partially closed, but she continued to struggle, determined to keep fighting. If he made any move toward her, the D’har would snap her neck with one hand.

  He deliberately took a step away.

  Plat snickered. “Another.”

  Kyber widened the distance. “We’re not done here,” he darkly warned the commander.

  “Yes. You are.” The D’har threw the same words he’d used minutes before back at him. And to prove his point, his grip tightened around Kelen’s throat.

  Sandow jumped forward and tried to pry the Seneecian’s grip from her neck, without success. “Let her go, damn you!”

  Without taking his eyes from Kyber, the D’har snarled, “Not until he leaves. Permanently. Your title is officially stripped from you. From this day, you will be branded a coward, a dissident, and a threat to our welfare. If any of us see you again, this female will be executed summarily.”

  Kyber studied Kelen’s face. Glancing at Sandow, he murmured, “Take care of her. Please.”

  Knowing to remain there any longer would further jeopardize her health, Kyber hurried into the tunnel leading back to the gardens.

  Chapter 16

  Speculation

  Consciousness came with pain. Reaching for her throat, Kelen tried to pull away whatever was restricting her breathing, but her fingers met skin. Skin that was sensitive to the touch.

  “Whoa, Chambliss. Take it easy.”

  She managed to
peel her eyelids apart to find Sandow leaning over her. It suddenly all came flooding back to her, and she rapidly scanned the room where she was lying. The physician saw her panic and shushed her.

  “It’s just you and me in here.”

  “Where’s Kyber?” Speaking was nearly impossible. Her throat felt like she’d tried to swallow raw sludge. She coughed and found a bowl of water held out in front of her.

  “Sip slowly,” he ordered in that tone she was familiar with.

  She sipped, letting the water gradually trickle down the inside of her inflamed throat. Raising her eyebrows at him, she waited.

  Sandow sighed. “He’s gone.”

  “Gone?” Another fit of coughing caught up with her. She gingerly touched her aching neck. “That white Seneecian did this to me, didn’t he?” she breathily whispered. “Who is that overgrown pussy, and how do we kill him?”

  “He is D’har Plat, the commander of the ship we followed into the wormhole. He and two more of his crewmen found their way to the temple. From what Massapa told me, Kyber and the others came across the D’har when they went up to retrieve the weapons.”

  The man still hadn’t answered her original question. “Where’s Kyber?”

  Sandow pressed his lips together. “Gone.”

  “Gone where? Why?”

  The physician frowned. “What’s the last thing you remember?”

  The last thing? It didn’t take much concentration for her to visualize Kyber lying nearly prone on the floor with the D’har straddling him. She vividly recalled jumping on the creature’s back…

  “That sneek was trying to claw Kyber’s eyes out. I tried to stop him. He growled at me, and grabbed me…” Her hand touched her bruised neck. Kelen stared at the doctor. “He was choking me.”

  “And after that?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t remember.”