I crouch low and dash out of cover. The skinner's beady eyes bug out of its red skull, but it is too late for him to defend himself. I’m on top of him and stab him in the eye. When I pull my dagger out, his eye comes away with it. I spin to avoid a wild shot from the skinner next to him and slash his throat open. He falls to the ground, clutching the gash in his neck, his black blood gushing out between his fingers.
I leap at the third, and he shoots me in the thigh as my knee rises into his stomach, doubling him over. I stab him in the back of the skull and leave my dagger behind as he drops to the sand.
Rhea’s men have used the distraction to their favor. Five other skinners litter the ground, dead or dying from their energy weapons. I smell the acrid stench of burnt flesh. The last skinner turns to run and I throw my knife into his spine. He stumbles forward a few more steps before spilling into the sand.
I turn on Gemini, pulling back my fist to crush in her head as I promised her I would. I learned to respect her in our brief time working together, but she should have chosen to go her own way after her job was done. She chose this path and I am where it ends.
She drops her weapon to the ground and falls down to her knees, her hands held in the air. “No, please, don’t! I surrender!” she begs.
I hesitate from killing her, picking up her weapon instead. Rhea’s soldiers come around the vehicles and train their weapons on her. I hold up my hand and motion for them to stop.
I turn to the soldier I met behind the ship and say, “Let your Princess choose her fate. She is the one who has been aggrieved by her.”
The soldier frowns and says something to the others in the human tongue. I’d been speaking with Rhea for so long, I had forgotten that the humans do not speak the Tulani tongue. I think I should learn this language. I’ve never been wealthy enough to afford the inoculation of tongues.
Gemini says something to the soldiers. The one with a golden coil wrapped around his right shoulder nods at the one I addressed and he runs back to the ship. A moment later, Rhea follows him back out and surveys the carnage.
She looks at me, then back to Gemini.
“Tell me why I shouldn’t have you killed for putting one of my men in critical condition?” Rhea demands in Tulani.
Gemini looks up at Rhea, pleadingly. “I’m sorry,” she says. “I’m not here by my own choice. I was forced to come here by Kole.”
“How did he force you?” Rhea asks.
“He’s holding my twin sister hostage to make me work for him,” she says. "He’s working with the Void Seekers, and a Seeker threatened to put her in the Void if I don’t help him recover the Apotheosis Chamber. He put me in there first, but I didn’t break. So he threatened Helena instead, and I couldn’t condemn her to the Void.”
I look at Gemini, trying to take her measure. She genuinely seems distraught, but that could be because I was about to crush her face.
I turn to Rhea. Her face shows deep sympathy for the twin sisters’ plight. She too has spent time imprisoned in the Void and I remember how much it troubled her when I reminded her of it.
“Do you think she’s telling the truth?” I ask.
“I think so,” she answers. “I remember something from my trial. Twice I saw a dark-robed figure behind Kole out of the corner of my eyes. It hurt to think about him, so I put him out of my mind. And I guess I was trying not to think about what happened to me when the Void Seekers took me prisoner two years ago.”
“That must have been the Void Seeker,” I say.
Rhea nods at me. “That’s how Kole found all his followers,” she says. “He’s just a pawn for the Void Seekers.”
She looks down at Gemini, thinking. “Is the Apotheosis Chamber real?” she asks her.
“Yes,” she says, with a quivering voice.
“Can you lead us to it?” Rhea asks.
She nods vigorously, tears beginning to stream from her eyes. “But you have to get there quickly. Kole’s on his way there with your excavator ship. He’s desperate to find it.”
“Good,” Rhea says. “If you lead us there, we will help rescue your sister.”
Gemini’s eyes go wide. “Really?” she asks. “You would do that for me?”
“Yes,” Rhea says. “I would not leave your sister in that monster’s hands. I know what he’s capable of, and you do not deserve the blame for what the Void Seeker has forced you to do. You are his victim, as was I.”
I continue to be amazed by my fated mate. Such mercy and wisdom. I am truly blessed to have her as my mate.
She turns to her soldiers and speaks to them in the human tongue. After she has given them their orders, two remain behind with the wounded and the rest bring supplies from the downed ship. They have plentiful water and food and a change of clothes for Rhea.
Rhea comes back to me, dressed in a tight uniform. Too tight around her wide hips and full breasts, but she makes for a stunning sight.
“Unfortunately, there are no spare uniforms in your size,” she says with a laugh, as she hands me a metal canteen full of ice cold water. “But I like you shirtless,” she adds with a sly grin, as she grazes her fingers across the marks she left earlier on my chest.
I see her men turn away and find something else interesting to look at, and I can’t help but laugh. I unscrew the cap from the canteen and take a large gulp of the cold water.
“Can you call to your ship in orbit?” I ask.
“No,” she says. “The communication array was damaged in the crash. They said it’s not recoverable and I don’t have enough time to check myself.”
I cock my brow at her, and she laughs.
“I was a communications officer before I bought my title,” she says proudly. “I can make a communication array out of pine sap, some rope and a piece of flint. I’m a regular Robinson Crusoe when it comes to these things.”
I hardly understand the words that come out of her mouth, but I am impressed. My mate is a woman of many talents, and I look forward to discovering every one of them.
“If we have no help coming, it is best that we be on our way,” I say, and crack my knuckles. “I mean to have some words with Kole and this Void Seeker.”
Gemini drives the lead car with me, Rhea, and one of her soldiers as passengers. The rest of her men are in the car behind us. We are heading straight for the excavation site.
It isn’t difficult to find it once Gemini put us on the right track. Rhea’s stolen excavator ship is in the air, its laser diggers vaporizing the earth below it. A huge vortex of dust and debris swirls around the ship and the dig site. Hopefully, that will obscure our approach.
I have my hand on Rhea’s shoulder, standing behind her seat. I am so proud of my mate. I mean to make myself worthy of her by killing her tormenter. I recovered the weapons I left behind in my enemies during the last battle, but I will not need them for him. I want to feel his bones snap in my bare hands and hear his tendons tear as I rip his limbs from his body.
Rhea points ahead as the ship’s diggers deactivate. “They are done digging. They must have reached the Chamber’s sanctum,” she says. She turns to Gemini and orders her to go faster. The car lurches ahead at top speed.
The circle of debris begins to settle on the ground as the ship lands on the desert floor above the dig site, and the skinner slaves pour out of the ship to secure the Apotheosis Chamber.
Rhea taps Gemini on the shoulder as we approach. “Did you inform Kole that you were engaged in a firefight at the wreck?” she asks.
“No, we didn’t get a chance,” she says.
“Good,” Rhea says. “They don’t know there’s anything wrong and won’t suspect any trouble. Pull up short, but stay in the car.” She turns to her Sergeant and gives him an order.
He speaks into his radio as the car comes to a stop just short of the ship. Thick layers of dust are caked on the glass and the glare obscures the interior of our vehicles. No guards come out to stop us, so Rhea’s plan seems to be working.
She
turns to Gemini. “I’m not ordering you to do this,” she says. “Are you willing to draw Kole out to us? I want to avoid any unnecessary bloodshed, and I think if we can draw him out, we can take him and end this right here and now.”
Gemini looks at Rhea and nods firmly. “I will do anything to save my sister,” she says. “You have my word. I will not betray you. Just promise me one thing. If I die, will you still save my sister?”
Rhea leans into Gemini and embraces her. “I promise,” she says. “I’ll make sure she’s safe and taken care of.”
Gemini smiles sadly and wipes a tear from her eye. “Thank you,” she says. “I don’t know how I can ever repay you.”
Gemini looks at me, nods once more, and opens the door and heads towards the ship. We wait in silence to see if Rhea’s trust in her will pay off. I hear her take in a deep breath of relief as we see her heading back with Kole, alone.
I ready my axe as they near the car. Rhea turns to me to say something and immediately turns back, moving her head, as if trying to find something. “Did you see that?” she says.
“What did you see?” I ask.
“When I turned my head,” she says. “I saw something out of the corner of my eyes. It’s like the outline of a man, with no features, but when I looked back it was gone.”
“A Wind Walker,” I say, grimacing. This execution will require more care than I had thought. “Like the creature that was sent to kill you in Haven.”
“Gemini may have betrayed us,” I say. “He knows there’s something wrong if there is a Wind Walker with him.”
Rhea presses a hand to my bare chest. I wish I had more time to enjoy her tenderness on my body. “Be careful,” she says. “I couldn’t bear to lose you.”
"I won't leave your side," I say with a nod. I press my lips to her forehead before climbing out of the car, brandishing my weapons. Kole’s eyes momentarily widen in shock before he doubles over from Gemini’s elbow sticking him in the stomach, and I know she hasn’t betrayed us. I see a blur of movement and dive at her, knocking Gemini out of the way as a thin blade stabs into my shoulder where her head was a moment ago.
The excavation site suddenly erupts into the site of a pitched battle. Rhea’s men step out of the cars and engage Kole’s skinners, suddenly aware of a fight breaking out in their midst.
Kole slowly backs away as I crouch, axe in one hand, dagger in the other, trying to find the Wind Walker. The wound in my shoulder burns fiercely and I feel the burning poison spreading through my body, quickly driving me mad with an uncontrollable rage. My eyes burn and I see the world in shades of bloody red. I strike out blindly around me, my mouth frothing with anger, but my axe finds no purchase.
I see another blur of movement beside me, and I feel another piercing stab in my thigh. I swing my axe around in the direction from where the blade came, and this time my axe finds its target. I see his blurry form drop to the ground through my red vision, and I fall upon it, stabbing it repeatedly with my dagger.
All reason abandons me as I turn away from the dead Wind Walker. As my mind recedes behind my blinding rage, I see Gemini laying wounded on the ground and I hear Rhea calling out to me, but all I want is to find a target for my rage.
I see Kole, running now towards a small ship, and my desire for revenge overwhelms what little reason I have left. All that matters to me now is the satisfaction of ripping him apart limb by limb.
I sprint after him, no longer hearing the voice of my mate calling out to me. Kole climbs aboard his ship and it begins to lift into the air. I leap, feeling no pain from my wounds, and grab onto the ship’s landing skids.
I hang on tightly as the ship fires its thrusters, my mind fading into a red rage, all my thoughts consumed by my desire for glorious revenge.
13
Rhea
I sit at the excavator ship’s communications console, numbly going about the work of bypassing the damage Kole’s people have done to it. Under ideal circumstances, I would be able to manage this in less than an hour’s time, but I can barely work for two minutes before my thoughts return to Orion.
Why would he leave me? He promised he would never leave my side. Is revenge so important to him? Did he feel like he has to prove himself to me? Is this all my fault?
I drop my head into my hands and sob. My eyes are dry, having run out of tears to shed.
We won the battle, but our losses were severe. Only two of my men are left alive. Gemini is wounded but standing, and I am alone, with only my dark thoughts for company.
I want to see Orion again so badly. “Oh, Peter. Please don’t take him from me,” I whisper, trying to hold back tears and failing.
I rub my eyes and try to concentrate on my work. I need to regain access to the communications system so I can call a rescue ship. Then I will gather my marines and I’ll raze Kole’s stronghold on top of his head.
And when I find Orion alive, I will smack him so hard he’ll never dream of leaving my side again. I know he’s alive. He has to be. I remember the vision of my child, Celeste. I know that vision will come to pass. Her father will hold her and love her with all his heart, and we will be happy together, always. Our story can’t end in tragedy. Orion isn’t Romeo and I am not Juliet.
Feeling a faint glimmer of hope return to me, I resolve to not lose myself in despair again, and get back to work.
I stand beside Gemini and watch as the excavator ship lifts the Apotheosis Chamber out of its subterranean lair and into the ship’s cargo hold. What should have been a glorious triumph for us both is instead a time of quiet reflection on our lost loved ones.
I squeeze Gemini’s hand, trying to give her comfort. She stares forward blankly. I know what's on her mind and there's little comfort I can offer.
“The Sojourn 1 should be here shortly,” I say. “We plan to go to Mount Kroll and look for Orion. I think there’s a good chance we’ll find your sister there, too.”
She nods, still staring ahead.
“You don’t have to come with us,” I say. “You’ve suffered enough, and you're badly injured. You can return with the excavator ship once we get the guidance systems back under our control and they’ll take you to the Sojourn. You’ll have hot food, be able to take a shower and sleep on a soft bed.”
“Would you do that before you find Orion?” she asks.
Her tone isn’t accusing, but her words still sting. I look down, trying to keep myself from losing hope again. “No,” I whisper.
She squeezes my hand. We are both in this until the end.
I hear the sound of thrusters in the distance and turn to see the Sojourn 1 flying towards us. The comms I grabbed from the excavator ship activates and I hear Captain Mikael’s voice, “This is the Sojourn 1. ETA is five minutes, your Royal Highness. Over.”
“Roger, Sojourn 1. Your ship is a sight for sore eyes, Captain,” I say. “We look forward to your arrival. Over.”
“Roger, your Royal Highness,” he replies. “Over and out.”
I turn to Gemini. “We’ll find them,” I say. Trying to convince myself, as much as her.
14
Orion
I come to in a dark cell. It’s surprisingly cool, so I must be deep underground. My head pounds with the worst hangover I’ve ever experienced. My arms are shackled tightly to the wall above me. My legs are chained to the floor.
I feel the pain of a deep wound in my thigh and shoulder, as well as the dull pain of an older wound in my ribs. I test the strength of my bindings, but I have no leverage and my body fails me.
I blink, trying to will my sight to adjust to the total darkness, but my vision fails me. There’s something important I can’t remember, but my mind Is in a fog. What happened to me? Why can’t I remember?
I hear a faint breath from the cell next to mine. I can’t see her, but I can tell it’s a woman. She’s weak and near death.
A heavy stone door swings open, grinding against the floor. Faint light spills into the prison and I close my eyes fr
om the pain caused by the sudden light.
I hear the footsteps and slurred speech before I see him, and my memory comes flooding back to me.
Kole!
I abandoned my mate to pursue him. I let my thirst for revenge overwhelm me. How could I have failed her? I promised to keep her safe! I promised to never leave her side!
He strolls up to the bars of the cell and takes a swig from his flask. By its smell, he’s running out of the better stuff and turning to fermented algae. He screws on its cap and tucks the flask into his jacket. Then he grabs the bars and leans his head in between them, taunting me.
I strain against my chains, desperate to break free, but I don’t have the strength. The strain on my wounds sends pain wracking through my body.
“This is how I like you, Tulani,” he speaks in my native tongue, his accented voice slurring. “A wounded animal trapped in a cage.”
I keep silent. I don’t want to give him the satisfaction of my anger. The anger that separated me from my Rhea.
“This is how all your people will be treated, once I take Kartak as my domain,” he says. “I will put you in pens and treat you like chattel. If you’re lucky, I’ll find a use for your savage race, and I’ll breed you so you don’t pass away from existence.”
He laughs as he takes a key and unlocks the cell. “Most likely, though,” he says. “You’ll prove to be too much trouble and I’ll have to wipe your people off the face of this planet. I will not tolerate any further challenge to my rule.”
He pulls a long metal rod from his belt and slaps it into the palm of his hand. At the press of a button electricity arcs at its tip.
I pull my head up and glare into his eyes. “You are a greater fool than I have given you credit for, if you think you can break me with that.”
“Break you?” he says, laughing. “I don’t want to break you Orion. I want to torture you. For the embarrassment you caused me at Rhea’s trial.” He prods me in the wound in my ribs and electricity surges through me. I grit my teeth and resolve myself to deny him any satisfaction.
Renegade Orion: A Scifi Alien Shifter Romance (Shifter Kings of Kartak Book 2) Page 9