“We’re not going to make it over the ridge,” Druinn called, as he started to decelerate the plane.
“Pull right,” Suki directed. “Get as close to the mountain as you can. If the people of Monmark see us, we’re going to have bandits on our tail.”
Druin increased the glide and turned so the ship ran parallel to the mountain. “We’re going to have a rough landing,” Druinn yelled.
“Further to the right,” Suki instructed. Druinn readjusted his direction.
“Buckle up,” Gideon screamed down to the cabin.
Lena stood frozen at the back of Myri’s seat. They hit the top of a rocky outcropping. Lena’s feet slid from under her. Gideon caught her from behind and pushed her into the jumpseat nestled into the wall behind Myri.
“Stay there,” he yelled at her. The ship lurched again. He grabbed the back of the pilot's seat.
Druinn grabbed at the manual controls. “Myri, grab the control. We need to straighten the wings,” he yelled.
Putting her foot on the dash, Myri began pulling the control towards her. Her face contorted as she strained against the plane’s pull. Gideon reached around Myri and grabbed the control with her. They pulled together until the nose leveled out. The airship rose momentarily before dropping towards the ground.
“Brace yourselves,” Gideon yelled down the ladder to Tern, Birdee and Tarek as he pulled himself into the seat next to Lena’s.
The plane fell from the sky as Druinn maneuvered it to have as much air resistance to slow it as possible. The ship hit a large boulder. It jerked, spinning halfway to the side as it dug itself into the ground. Lena's head hit the back of her seat. She felt the restraints hold tight against her. The ship landed, bounced and landed again. Dirt sprayed the windows as the ship skidded to a stop.
“Is everyone okay?” Druinn yelled. Releasing his belt he looked at Myri first. She let out a breath of tension and laughed.
“Let’s not do that again anytime soon,” Myri said, as she unbuckled her restraints. Rubbing her shoulders she stretched to the side.
Lena reached her own trembling hands towards the release button of her restraints. They whipped back into the wall behind her. Lena shakily got to her feet. Grabbing the wall, she walked the few steps across the cockpit and climbed down the ladder. Everything was slanted to the side making walking that much harder.
She looked around the ship. Loose items that had been sitting in the ship now lay scattered on the ground. Blankets and pillows from the beds lay in bundles in various places. Even some of the secured cupboards lay open after the rough landing, their contents making the ship a mess.
Tern knelt next to Birdee surveying any damages she may have incurred. Birdee kept pushing his hand away telling him she was no worse off than before. Tern looked skeptical. Still, he helped her stand on her good leg.
Tarek stretched from side to side as if doing some kind of exercise routine. He looked un-phased by their unplanned landing and the fact that his father’s ship had just crashed.
Suki stood glaring at Lucius. Her prosthetic fingers tapped against her crossed arms. She looked like she wanted to jam her robotic arm against his throat. He looked back at her without remorse.
Gideon climbed from the cockpit, saw Lena and rolled his eyes. Grabbing a cloth from where it had landed on the ground, he walked up to Lena. Only when he placed the towel on the back of her head did she realize she was bleeding.
“You get hurt more than any other person I know.” He slipped her loose hair away from her face and behind her ear. “Are you okay?” he asked.
He stood right in front of her. She could feel his breath on her face as he spoke. Lena felt her insides tingle as she looked at him.
“Eves, are you okay?” he asked again, brushing his thumb along her jaw.
Lena realized she’d been staring. Looking away from him she felt her cheeks turn red. Reaching back, she placed her hand over where he held the cloth at the back of her head.
Gideon stared at her and his fingers brushed her arm as he dropped his hands from her head. He smiled before stepping away and walking towards where Tarek stood on the other side of the ship.
Myri walked towards Lena. Going to an open drawer against the wall, she pulled out some cream. Turning Lena away from her, she grabbed the cloth Lena held and dabbed the cream on the back of her head. As soon as the cream was applied, Lena felt the wound tightening.
“That was a rush,” Lena said. She felt the back of her head. Looking at her hand, she saw no new blood. Whatever Myri had put on her had closed the wound.
“The landing? Or how Gideon looks at you?” Myri replied, raising her eyebrows at Lena.
Lena’s eyes darted to Gideon then back again. She felt her cheeks grow hot. Unable to answer, she lowered her eyes and tried to find something else to focus on.
Myri laughed.
Druinn came up behind Myri and put a hand on her back. “I’m going to take a look down below. See if I can figure out what Lucius did to make us fall from the sky like that.”
“You could just ask him,” Myri said.
“That would require talking to him,” Druinn replied. “Something I’m not willing to do.” He opened a hatch and slid into the space below.
“Never thought marriage was going to be this exciting,” Myri said. She walked to the table, beckoning for Lena to follow. Typing in commands she pulled up the coordinates of their landing. “The good new is, we’re not far from Everleigh. The bad new is, we’re still on the Monmark side of the mountains. We can’t be sure they didn’t see our crash.”
“Let’s assume they did,” Suki said. “We’ve got to get through the mountains as fast as possible.” Suki grabbed a bag she’d packed when they were flying and started looping her hands through its straps. “I can lead us to the path I took as a child,” Suki said. “But once we get to Everleigh I don’t know what kind of difficulties we’ll encounter. Or where to even look for Thora.”
Lena nodded.
“What are we going to do with the idiot?” Suki asked.
“What makes you assume I’d want to come with you in the first place?” Lucius said, through the bloodied hand that still held his nose.
Gideon glared at Lucius. “Are the Cimmerians close?” he asked. “Do you have a tracking device on you?”
Lucius only tightened his jaw in response.
“Should I tie him up?” Suki asked excitedly.
Lucius stood taller. He took his hand away from his face. His nose was already discolored and swelling. He spat a glob of blood to the side.
Gideon stared at him before nodding his head in confirmation. “Tie him up. We’ll take him with us. Let’s move out.”
Chapter Forty
They fell in step behind each other. Tarek first with Suki walking after him. She moved with a slight limp in the leg that had been shot. Lena doubted she would have even noticed the limp if she weren’t watching for it. Druinn and Myri held hands as they walked in single file behind Suki. Druinn had wanted to stay with the ship, but Gideon convinced him it wouldn’t be safe. If the bandits of Monmark saw their crash, the ship is the first place they’d look. Gideon didn’t want to risk them getting captured or killed.
Birdee flew on the glider. She controlled it herself now with her one good leg while the splinted one she still kept bent to her side, not putting any pressure on it. Tern walked behind her. His eyes constantly darting from side to side and his posture alert. Lena couldn’t decide if he was ready to bolt or to catch Birdee if she fell.
Lena walked behind them with Gideon. He pulled on a rope that was tied to Lucius. There were huge boulders all around them. They stayed close to the boulders, trying to use them as cover in case anyone came looking. Only a few sparse trees grew in the rocky terrain.
“I remember that a trail ran alongside that,” Suki said, pointing to a sloping outcropping of the mountain.
They all nodded and adjusted their direction towards where she pointed.
&nbs
p; “These mountains are steep, but it’s just the one peak. Once over this peak, we’ll immediately fall into the Everleighan valley,” Suki explained.
Tarek put his hands on his hips and rested one leg on a rock searching the area Suki had indicate.
Lena saw Suki studying him. Tarek turned and his eyes naturally fell on Suki. Suki winked at him as she walked around to put herself in the lead. Tarek blushed. Druinn and Myri chuckled in front of her.
“So tell me about Monmark,” Gideon said to Suki. As he walked, he looked through some binoculars towards the town. “What kind of place has it turned into since we were kids?”
“The kind that kills you if they think they’ll profit from it,” Suki said. “Monmark’s always been a rough place, but since the Priestess’ overtake, they’ve become lawless.”
Lena kept walking following Suki in the diagonal path they were taking up the side of the mountain. She looked at Monmark. She was far enough away that she couldn’t see the details of the town, but from a distance, it looked brown and dusty. There was no grass, or trees of any kind. Dirt swirled around the town’s borders making it look like a huge dust bowl.
Suki stopped them. They’d come to the edge of the outcropping she had pointed out. They would have to pass over the open ground to the next cover of rocks and boulders unless they wanted to travel down the canyon to their left.
“So, someone with a bounty on their head shouldn’t be caught in Monmark,” Gideon said.
“Definitely not,” Suki replied.
“Well then I suggest we hide,” Gideon said. “We have some air-bikes flying to our crash sight.”
Lena turned and grabbed the binoculars still attached to Gideon’s neck. Yanking him towards her, she put the binoculars to her eyes. Her cheek brushed his as she studied the landscape. Bikes were landing around their crashed ship. The feel of Gideon’s breath on her cheek startled her. She hadn’t noticed how close he was to her. She lowered the binoculars. His dark brown eyes locked with hers and he smirked. Lena’s stomach tightened.
At the humming sound of air-bikes, Gideon yelled, “Hide!” He dropped the rope attached to Lucius to allow him to fend for himself.
A half dozen air-bikes were flying up the mountainside, directly towards them.
Gideon pushed Lena down the mountain into the canyon they’d been hiking next to, at the same time yelling at Tarek to hide Suki. Tarek leaped over a boulder to Suki and pulled her after him. Lucius followed. His hands still tied together.
Tarek yelled, “Go, Gideon. You and Lena must not be caught.”
Gideon jumped down the steep hillside to where he’d pushed Lena moments before. Druinn and Myri slid after him. Coming to a thick patch of dried brush, Gideon turned around and pushed Druinn and Myri into their cover.
“Don’t move,” he commanded. Grabbing Lena’s hand, Gideon started pulling her down the side of the mountain searching for another place to hide. The steepness caused them to slide more than run. Gideon tightened his grip on her hand, not letting her go as they slid side by side until they were nearly at the bottom.
They were too late. A man stepped out from behind a boulder below them. Gideon released her hand and sprung towards the man. Falling on top of him, Gideon punched the side of his face. The man fell into the boulder, slid to the ground, then rolled down the side of the mountain.
Lena jumped towards Gideon. Grabbing her hand again, he pulled her after him. Lena heard the air-bikes behind her. Bullets hit the rocks beside them. Gideon pulled Lena in the other direction. They didn’t get far before the sound of guns clicked all around them.
Gideon pulled her to a stop. He whispered into her ear, “Whatever you do. Stay by me.”
Lena nodded and stepped in closer to Gideon.
“What do we have here?” A voice called. “Turn around where I can see you.”
Lena turned, careful not to make any sudden movements. Men and women flew in a circle surrounding them on all sides. Their air-bikes acted like a prison. All of the bandits wore clothes that were covered in filth. In fact, everything about them was covered in filth. Their faces were streaked with a thin layer of brown. Underneath the dirt, they had painted black around their eyes.
The man who originally spoke spat to the side and sneered, revealing his rotting teeth. A list of information popped up on her lens. Gambling, prostitution, cage fighting, and other unflattering information. His name was Nath Ryder. She blinked her eyes to turn off the display. Nath raised his eyebrows and sneered. He stepped off his bike, taking slow steps until he stood in front of Lena. Raising his hand, he brushed the side of her face. He started laughing—a quiet evil snicker that turned loud and arrogant.
The man caressed her face again. Lena shuddered under his touch. His hands were rough and Lena could smell the dirty stench of his unwashed body. His breath was the worst of the smell. Lena turned her head to the side trying not to dry heave. Focusing on her surroundings, she counted six bikes and six people.
She and Gideon could fight that many people, couldn’t they? She bent her knees and readied herself to fight. Gideon’s hand tightened on hers. He shook his head with almost imperceptible movement. His eyes darted to the ridge above them. Lena couldn’t see anything, but she trusted Gideon. She relaxed her stance.
The man dropped his hand from her face and started pacing around them. “What are you two doing in these mountains? They’re restricted access by order of the High Priestess.” His voice was husky and he spoke with a drawl. She had a hard time deciphering his words.
“Our ship crashed. We were trying to make it out of here unseen from the likes of you,” Gideon answered. His voice was bold and strong. He talked with the command of someone who wasn’t afraid of anything. Lena envied him at that moment. Whatever the academy had taught him, it was working.
The man smiled, once again revealing his rotting teeth. “Well played,” he said. “You’re smart and alert. Most of the people we catch beg to be let go,” he said.
Lena didn’t like what this man was saying. He wasn’t making any sense but talked as if he knew something they didn’t. Lena shuddered again and felt Gideon lean closer to her.
“What do you want?” Gideon asked.
“I have what I want. I have what all of Mir wants. Don’t I, Captain?” As the man annunciated the last word, he smiled and spat to the side.
Lena wanted to run, to hide.
The man ran his eyes over Lena’s body, then picked up a com device. “I have Captain Gideon Merak, and Evangeline Adhara in custody now.” The man lifted his gun so it pointed to the sky. He eyed them once more. “Search them for weapons, and tie them up. We’ll take them to town and decide what to do with them.”
Chapter Forty-One
Lena looked around. The room had four walls with a dirt floor. There were no windows, but light filtered through the cracks in the walls. She sat next to Gideon. Both of their arms were tied with electric cuffs behind their backs. Lena tried to use her insignia to release the cuffs, but it didn’t work. She shifted uncomfortably on the dirt floor.
The same man who spoke to them on the mountain paced in front of them. Stopping he looked at Lena and gave her a slimy smile.
Lena shivered.
“Names Nath,” he said. “I run this little establishment. We’ll put you up for auction in the morning.”
“You’re not turning us into the Priestess?” Gideon asked.
“Me? No. I don’t have much need for politics. I’m going to sell you. I’ll make a small fortune off of you, Captain.” He turned to Lena. “But not as much as I’m going to get for a pretty young thing like yourself.”
The expression on his face made Lena shudder.
The man started laughing. He spat to the side and came up close to Lena. Bending over so that they were face to face he said, “I might have even kept you for myself, but I don’t need the Priestess as an enemy right now. There will be men fighting over you. Wanting the power you’ll give to them. I don’t envy you r
ight now, honey.”
Lena heard the crack before she saw what happened. Gideon was on his feet. He kicked Nath in the stomach, causing him to fall backward. Nath groaned. Gideon kicked him again. The anger Gideon felt was etched across every line of his body. Gideon took another step towards him.
Nath scrambled to a sitting position. Kicking his feet in front of him, Nath pushed himself into the adjacent wall, digging for something in his pocket. Gideon took another step towards him. The man smiled, held up a small device and pushed the button on it. Gideon started convulsing and fell to the ground.
Lena heard herself scream. The man stood and started kicking Gideon where he shook on the floor. Nath released the button. Gideon gasped for air and rolled into a fetal position. Lena crawled on her knees to his side. Her arms were still restrained behind her.
“Not much of a hero now, are ya?” Nath said. “Don’t get any more ideas, or you won’t leave here alive.” Nath left the room, slamming the old door behind him.
“Gideon!” Lena said.
He coughed and gulped down air. Rolling onto his stomach, he pulled his knees underneath himself. He rested his head on the ground for a moment before pulling his body upright.
“Are you okay?” Lena wanted to reach out to him. To comfort him. But she couldn’t move her hands.
Gideon slumped his head and motioned for the wall. Lena walked on her knees with him to the side of the room. Gideon turned and fell into a sitting position against the wall. Lena scooted in next to him. She put her head on his shoulder and listened to his breathing even out.
“Gideon, this is bad,” she said after a while.
Gideon and Lena both turned so that they looked into each other’s eyes. She studied his face. Creases lined the sides of his eyes. He pressed his forehead against hers. She wanted to comfort him but didn’t know what to say.
The Mir Chronicles- The Complete Series Page 42