**********
The wheezing and hacking cough of his older sister awakened Bantyr. He slowly opened his eyes and rolled off of the metal slab that was his bed. He rubbed his eyes and walked across the cell to the other metal slab on which his sister was lying. Reaching down, he felt her face. She was burning up, and her blue prison overalls - that the Gnols so generously gave them - were drenched. In a whisper, so the guards wouldn't hear, he called to her. "Kylee ?"
She didn't respond.
"Kylee. You're burning up. What did they do to you?"
A day earlier, the guards entered the cell by disabling the energy field that separated them from the prisoners and took Kylee and Sean while they were sleeping. Bantyr demanded to know why they were being taken, which was a mistake. Because of his insubordination and demands, he was severely beaten. He was still licking his wounds as a result. He was grateful, however, that Koroan Chast ordered that all political prisoners in the brig of the palace keep their inhibitors in place. Only he and his high priest were allowed to take prisoners' inhibitors out and probe their minds for information.
Bantyr shuddered at the thought of what the less experienced Gnol guards would do to him if he did not have his inhibitors in. Strangely enough, however, neither Koroan nor his high priest had probed his mind yet. He figured they must have gotten all of the information they needed from Sean.
He called to his sister again. "Kylee ?"
Kylee slowly opened her eyes and turned her face toward Bantyr. "B ?" She stopped as she coughed. "? Bantyr is ? is that you?"
Bantyr looked down at his sister. He couldn't make out the details of her face because of the dim light in the cell, but he could tell from her fever and the shaking of her body that she was in pain. "I'm here," he whispered as he grabbed her hand.
"They ? they did something to me."
Bantyr felt his eyes well up with tears. "I don't understand," he said. "You were fine before they took you."
Kylee nodded her head and tried to swallow. Bantyr could tell that she experienced a tremendous amount of pain as she did so. "Whe ? where's Sean?" she asked.
Bantyr looked in the direction of Sean's so-called bed. He couldn't see because of the darkness, so he stepped over to it a few yards away and felt. Nothing. He made his way back to Kylee. "He's not here. They must still have him."
Suddenly, the lights to the entire brig flickered on. Bantyr looked in the direction of the main entrance as he heard the doors slide open. Ten royal guards, all dressed in red, walked in. The last guard carried Sean. He looked terrible. Both of his eyes were bloodied and purple, and blood trickled from his nose. He was also going in and out of consciousness.
After the guard stepped in, Koroan and his high priest, Vlamer Kreuk, entered as well. Koroan was dressed in a white robe and looked extremely angry. Vlamer was dressed in his usual religious regalia and sat in his hover chair. It was rumored throughout the brig that the reason Vlamer now had to move around with a hover chair was because he was paralyzed from the waist down, as a result of a plasma blast to his spine - delivered by none other than his own daughter. Bantyr could only hope that was true because the rebels would then have another powerful Gnol on their side.
Bantyr heard the energy field that separated him and Kylee from the guards disengage. The guard carrying Sean threw him into the prison cell and into the back wall. Bantyr cringed as he heard Sean's arm hit the wall and pop. He heard the energy field reengage, and the Gnols turn around to leave the brig. Before they did so, Bantyr summoned the courage he needed.
He stood up and approached as close to the energy field as he could get before it shocked him and threw him backwards. "Hey!" he yelled.
The guards, Koroan, and Vlamer all turned.
"What did you do to my sister?" he asked.
He heard the energy field disengage again. The same guard that threw Sean in rapidly approached and lifted him by the throat. "No prisoner speaks in the presence of the lord unless he is commanded to do so."
Bantyr kicked his feet and struggled for air. He then heard a bellowing command from Koroan himself. "That is enough, Captain! Let him go!"
Bantyr fell to the cold metal floor and clutched his throat. He saw the guard turn around and bow. "Sorry, My Lord," the captain said.
As the guard scurried away, Bantyr saw Koroan approach. Koroan lifted his right hand and gently levitated Bantyr about five feet off the floor. He gave Bantyr an evil smile that caused shivers to run down his spine. "Ask your question again?"
"What did you do to my sister?"
Koroan didn't respond right away. He looked Bantyr up and down with the same smile on his face. "Hmm," he said. "Very brave for such a young boy. You must have gotten that strength from your father."
"More than you know," Bantyr said with a glare.
Koroan's smile disappeared and his face flushed red with anger. With a twist of his hand, Bantyr flew through the air; his face stopping within inches of Koroan's. "Do not ever disrespect me again!"
Bantyr didn't respond. He knew that if he said anything else; Koroan would probably kill him right then and there. Koroan dropped him to the floor and walked over to Kylee. Bantyr wanted to get up and stop him, but he knew better. Koroan knelt down beside Kylee and rubbed the back of his right hand along her clammy face. All the while, Kylee watched him in horror.
"Such a pretty face," said Koroan, as he continued to stroke her cheek. "It is too bad she is nothing more than a despicable human. With her courage and stamina, she would make a valiant Gnol."
Bantyr felt the anger surge from within. He wanted so badly to pull Koroan away from his sister, and break his neck, but he knew that wasn't possible. He gritted his teeth and shook as he spoke. "What did you do to her?" he demanded.
Koroan slowly stood as he continued to look at Kylee. He turned around and met Bantyr's eyes. "She has been used for the cause."
Bantyr held Koroan's gaze. "Cause?"
Koroan smiled again and walked slowly toward him. Bantyr backed away, but Koroan clutched his left arm, causing him to wince in pain. For a long moment, Koroan stared at him. Finally, he said, "Meaning, she was chosen as the test subject for new biological weapons that we plan to use to wipe out your father's renegade force."
Bantyr glared at Koroan. "You forget, Your Highness, my father has an advantage you don't."
Koroan furrowed his eyebrows and spit as he responded. "And what is that?"
"Your daughter."
With that comment, Koroan gritted his teeth and squeezed Bantyr's arm even harder. Bantyr screamed in pain as Koroan continued to squeeze until he felt his bone snap. He fell to the floor, writhing in pain.
Koroan smiled again and turned to one of his guards. "Commander!"
The guard approached Koroan, knelt down, and bowed his head. "What would you have me do, My Lord?"
"These two male humans are of no further use to me. At dawn, have the two males in this cell sent to a slave camp. I do not care which one. Leave the female here. She is to be continually tested upon until she dies."
With Koroan's final orders, Bantyr forgot about his pain, jumped up, and lunged for him. Koroan turned around, lifted his right palm, and telekinetically sent Bantyr flying through the air to the back of the cell. Bantyr felt the bone crushing impact. He dropped to the floor and tried to look up. His vision went blurry and then there was darkness.
Worlds Without End: The Mission (Book 1) Page 70