by Maven, Ella
Lozoric crossed his arms over his massive chest. “Where’ve you been, Drix?”
“A walk,” Mikko sniped.
“A walk? So, did you miss the announcement?”
Mikko sucked in a breath but didn’t answer. Slowly, aliens in different shapes and sizes began to emerge from the shadows of the Pit. Some crawled up from the lower level, grasping hands and claws digging into the dirt as they hauled themselves up. Groups crept out of their rooms from all directions. Mikko’s arms tightened around me as his head swiveled to take in the enemies closing in from all directions.
“The guards have given us a little competition. Capture the human alive. We get to do whatever we want with her, and we also get an extra food drop.” He gestured around him with his hands. “We’re all a little hungry for some variety, if you know what I mean.” His tongue snaked out to taste the air, and I couldn’t hold back my whimper.
Mikko’s legs braced, and I heard a meaty smack seconds before a prisoner went sailing over the edge of the pathway to crash into the bodies in the pit below. Mikko’s tail flicked as he curled his body around mine, turning his spiked back outward. “Who’s next?” he sneered.
“Mikko.” I choked out, tears streaming down my face.
“I promised.” The vulnerable crack in his voice broke me.
“You did your best,” I whispered, “but you can’t—”
With a roar, he flung his arm out and spikes slammed into the torso of an alien rushing at us. Blood flew as one spike speared him in the neck.
“I can do this all day!” Mikko shouted, spittle flying from his mouth as the crowd closed in.
After that… it was chaos. Aliens flew at us from all directions. Mikko’s tail whipped around us, cracking against flesh and breaking bones. He needed both arms to fling his machets and shoved me into a ball at his feet.
As I watched the crowd closing in on us while they dodged Mikko’s machets, a moment of clarity came over me. Blood dripped from Mikko’s forearms, head, and back as he ejected his machets as fast as they regenerated.
His handsome features were twisted in agony, fury, and determination. He was doing this all for me when he could have easily handed me over and carried on with his life.
So honestly, fuck this frozen in fear shit. I wasn’t a powerful alien, but I was scrappy as hell. They wanted me? They were going to suffer.
I scrambled to a nearby body and ripped the two black spikes—courtesy of Mikko—out of his chest. One in each hand, I stood my ground, slashing at anything that got in my way. A few aliens thought I was easy pickings, but I soon showed them I was agile and could swing a fist or two.
We were losing—I wasn’t naïve enough to think we’d win. My arms were exhausted, and Mikko staggered under the pain of fighting. He had a few injuries as the alien horde managed to get a few shots in.
His hand reached out and pulled me against his chest. His blood soaked into the back of my shirt and his body trembled with pain while he continued to roar. He was no longer taunting, which worried me because that meant he was flagging. There was no way he could fight them all.
A hand closed around my ankle, and I screamed as I kicked. But the clawed hand didn’t dislodge and when I looked down, it was into the sneering face of Lozoric.
I screamed again, and his mouth opened. An odd chatter rose from his throat, and I realized he was laughing.
He pulled and I slipped from Mikko’s arms. He went wild as he dove for me. His hands grasped inches from my head as I was pulled deeper into the crowd. I looked back, and we made eye contact one last time before the bodies closed in around me.
I screamed. And I screamed. And I screamed.
Five
Mikko
I was losing, and it was a feeling I’d never had. Even when I’d woken up in absolute agony in the Uldani lab, drugged and furious, I’d had a fire within me that couldn’t be extinguished. I never lost hope I’d be free again, even when I’d been tossed into the Pit to rot.
But as I watched Rian be dragged away from me, her small hands reaching for me as her terrified voice shrieked my name, I finally knew what actual loss felt like.
I’d seen her fighting at my side, my brave little warrior. With a face streaked with tears and knees wobbly with fright, she’d still managed to maim a few prisoners.
Pain coursed through my body, and a blow to the back of my legs sent me to my knees with a thud. A fist slammed into my head. Somewhere, Lozoric cackled. I managed to tilt my face up one last time just as I felt a hand fist my hair and pull my head back. A slim ray of sun warmed my face for a split seek right before a shadow blotted it out.
I missed my brothers, my warriors. I hoped Rexor and his human made it to safety. I hoped he was alive and well. I wished to Fatas that Fenix was happy, and Zecri would get the revenge he desired.
And I wished Rian’s end would be swift or she found a way to end her life before these fleckers could harm her.
I opened my eyes to peer into the hazy yellow irises of a Yupri. “Time to meet your end, Drix,” he laughed.
I waited for the final pain that would end it all, for my blood to gush onto this dirty path in this filthy prison. But instead. I heard a metal rattle moments before choking smoke suddenly filled the air. The hand in my hair released as angry shouts filled the Pit. Through the gray smoke, I could make out stumbling figures. Cries of pain and alarm followed by coughing and hacking.
I dropped to my belly, where the smoke wasn’t as thick, and crawled forward using my arms. Bodies collided with each other. I could hear the hollers of many falling off the level to land in the pit below.
My eyes burned, and I blinked away the smoke as I searched for familiar red hair. In the distance, I could just make out her voice. She was still alive, and that encouraged me, despite the burning in my lungs as I tried to breathe the poisoned air.
My vision swam, my head spun, and I fought to maintain consciousness. Was this the guards attempting to break up a riot? They’d never done this before… Had they? My brain wouldn’t seem to work right, and when I tried to move forward, suddenly my arms went numb. Drool pooled at the corner of my mouth. “Wh-what—?” I managed. “R-Rian.” I called out, but my voice sounded far away. I couldn’t make my thick tongue work.
And just as I heard a muffled. “—kko. Mikko!” My eyes closed and everything went black.
* * *
I came to in spurts. My body was moving, but I wasn’t doing the moving. I was being dragged, and no matter how hard I tried to resist, my limbs wouldn’t work. My brain still felt clogged and sluggish. Craggy voices echoed in my head, and I vainly tried to swat away enemies. My machets wouldn’t eject, and all I seemed to be able to do was curl my fingers in a weak fist.
“Ri-Ri-an,” I murmured with a dry and swollen tongue.
I wasn’t moving anymore, but my eyes wouldn’t open. Someone was arranging my limbs.
Voices filtered through my brain fog. “Heavy as a boulder, that ‘un.”
“Look at the size of ‘im. Bloody as a corpse too.”
“Be careful of those spikes, York.”
“I’m bein’ careful.”
“You know how thin your skin is.”
“I know, I know, I’m bein’ careful.”
“He’s going to wake up as pissed as a griger.”
“No kidding, Crife, that’s why I’m putting him over here.”
“This pale one is limp.”
“Like your cock.”
Snickers followed.
A cup was brought to my lips and at first, I couldn’t do anything as the liquid rolled down the sides of my face.
“Swallow, you big bastard,” a voice muttered. “Quit being dramatic. You’re not dead.”
I tried in vain to move my lips, and finally they twitched. I was able to open them a fraction and as soon as the qua hit my tongue, my body took over. I swallowed greedily, each gulp flooding my system with energy until I was clutching the cup and upending the rest of
the contents in my mouth.
Finally, I opened my eyes to find myself in a dimly lit stone cave. The creature in front of me stared with impossible wide, round gray eyes. He was small, maybe half the size of me, with long gray hair and a beard that grew down to his round belly. His paws were large in proportion to his body, with concave claws.
He sat frozen in front of me. Behind him stood another that looked similar, but he was bald and had a shorter beard. Both blinked at me with eyes that took up half of their faces. Two small holes below fluttered as they breathed, and their mouths hung open showing sharp teeth.
And in the corner, laying on her side, was Rian. I leapt to my feet, stumbling a moment as I got my legs under me and dove to her side. The small creatures lunged out of the way and huddled together in the opposite corner of the cave. I ignored them, because they didn’t pose a threat to me, and gathered Rian in my arms. I held my ear to her mouth, and relief washed over me when I felt the small, hot puffs of her breath. When I placed my palm over her chest, her heart beat steadily.
“Rian.” I pushed her hair out of her face. Her eyes were closed, and her color was paler than I had seen her. “My little warrior. Please wake up.”
She didn’t move, so I laid her head in my lap and stroked her hair, working out the tangles with my claws. Blood droplets were all over her skin, and I despaired as I didn’t know if they were from her injuries or others.
A shuffled sound drew my attention. I glanced up. One of the creatures was approaching me, but he startled when I caught his eye. He stole a look over his shoulder. The other creature remained huddled in the corner. “York, get back here,” he hissed.
“She needs qua,” the one close to me said stubbornly. In his clawed paws was a cup of qua and a clean cloth. “Here, for her to drink. And to clean her flesh.”
I narrowed my eyes at him with mistrust. I didn’t know where I was or how I got here. What did they want?
He swallowed and once again looked back over his shoulder, as if for courage. He took another step closer with his hands out. “Please, for the small one. The effects of the ricin will take longer to wear off for her.”
I snatched them from his hands, and he quickly scurried back to his friend. They clung to each other. I sniffed the qua and took a small sip. Determining it was safe, I tilted it to Rian’s lips. Her throat worked as she swallowed some. I wet the cloth and swiped at her skin, relieved to find that she mostly had scrapes and scratches. No real injuries. My body still hurt like a mother flecker and my head ached liked it’d been tossed around.
When I was content she was all right, I glanced up at the creatures. They watched me warily. “Where am I?” I asked.
“In a tunnel. In the Pit.”
“How did I get here?”
The one with long hair who had given me the qua licked his lips. “We, uh, dragged you here.”
That took me aback. “What?”
The bald one spoke up now. “We heard the announcement. We saw you were fighting for the pale, little one. We threw the ricin canisters and dragged you here.”
I tilted my head. “You saved us?”
They glanced at each other. “We…” the bald one swallowed. “Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because we don’t like cruelty,” the long-haired one said.
“It is against our beliefs,” the other added.
“We must always provide aid. It is our oath. We haven’t had much cause in here to help before…”
“Innocence is rare.”
“But this little pale one? We couldn’t. We saved you because you were trying to keep her safe. We saw you attempt escape, just like last time.”
I jerked back in surprise. “You saw me escape?”
“We see everything,” the long-haired one said proudly.
“What are your names?”
“I’m Crife,” said the bald one. “This is York.”
“We are hilbobs,” York said. “From Filgreth.”
I hadn’t heard of them, but then that wasn’t unique. I’d been cut off from the greater galaxy for most of my life. “I’m a Drixonian warrior.”
“We know.” York jutted out his chin and raised his fists. “If you were fighting only to keep her for yourself to hurt her just know that we…” he glanced quickly as his friend, who only looked at him blankly. “We will make you suffer!” He finished with a rapid volley of air punches.
I stared at them. “I could kill both of you with one slap.”
York wasn’t to be deterred. “I’d like to see you try!”
“I do not!” Crife cleared his throat and gave me a trembling smile. “I do not want to see you try, oh great, wise, and strong warrior.” He elbowed his friend and gave him big eyes. “What is wrong with you?” he whispered, even though the cave was small enough I could clearly hear what he was saying. “His hand is bigger than your face. Last time we sparred you twisted your ankle taking a step back.”
“I told you I slept on it wrong!”
“How do you sleep wrong on your ankle?”
“It’s possible.”
“Sure, if—”
“Hey,” I snapped.
The two fell silent, eyes downcast with chagrin.
I sighed and rubbed my temples as the headache still pressed against the back of my eyes. Their bickering wasn’t making it any better. “I will not harm Rian. I promised to protect her. My name is Mikko.”
“Do you promise not to harm us?” Crife asked with a hopeful expression.
Honestly, they reminded me a bit of Drixonian chits when they squabbled. In spite of my strong conviction to dislike most living things, I couldn’t help but find them slightly endearing. Only slightly. “I promise not to hurt you as long as you don’t hurt Rian.”
“Never,” both said in unison.
I took in my surroundings. The cave was only slightly larger than my cell. The walls were marked with scratches, and I realized the hilbobs had dug it out with their large paws and claws. They were diggers, which explained how they were able to tunnel through the stone in a way that other prisoners couldn’t. Despite their stature, they had to be strong to be able to accomplish this. My respect for them grew. There were two tunnels leading out from the cave. A stone door was closed at the entrance to one, while a flap of fabric hung from the other.
The cave was organized with a bundle of furs in one corner for sleeping. A shelf system was dug into the wall above it, and several food goods were stacked there. I recognized some of the rations supplied by the guards, but they also had fresh food. How the fleck did they get fresh goods down here?
York caught me staring at the shelves. “Are you hungry?”
“I have some food in my pack.” I pointed to the bag at my feet. “Save your food for her.”
They both nodded eagerly.
“Did anyone see you bring Rian and I here?”
“No,” Crife said. “The ricin had knocked everyone out. We pulled you into our secret tunnel and dragged you here. No one knows about it. The guards have long forgotten about us.”
I frowned. “How long have you been here?”
“One hundred cycles?” York scrunched his lips in thought.
“Close to it, I think,” Crife nodded.
“What?” I asked in disbelief. “Why? If you can dig this well, certainly you could have escaped.”
“And go where?” York said. “Our home planet is stripped and lifeless. We would get caught on the surface quickly, and the Plikens like to use us to dig in the mines until our bodies give out. This is the safest place for us.”
“Absolutely the safest.” Crife agreed.
To me, it still seemed sad. “But… You’re not free.”
York’s smile spread across his face. “We are, and we will show you after the pale one wakes up.”
I leaned back on my hands, thinking about their words, when something soft brushed my finger. I glanced down to find a piece of plumage that reminded me a bit of a brigger feather from
home. Picking it up by its stem, I turned it this way and that while the hilbobs began to murmur quietly to themselves. “What is this?” I asked.
Crife stared at his hands. York’s gaze slid to the fabric covered tunnel before returning to me. Then he offered me a small shrug. “That, Warrior Mikko, is how we are free.”
Six
Rian
My head throbbed. I felt like I’d just gone three rounds with a bottle of José Cuervo. I groaned as I unstuck my dry tongue from the roof of my mouth. The faint taste of qua lingered there.
My cheek was pressed to something hard and firm. I gripped it with my hand, and it tensed beneath my fingers. I frowned and pried my eyes open. At first, I couldn’t see anything in the dim light, but as my pupils dilated, a few objects came into view. I was in a cave and sitting across from me were two small creatures. They stared at me with huge eyes that took up half of their faces. They were short, maybe about four feet, with round bellies and comically large hands that reminded me of a mole’s—shovel-shaped with long digger claws.
“She’s awake,” one whispered in a squeaky voice.
“Where—” I was bodily lifted in the air with a strong grip around my waist. I yelped and began to struggle until Mikko’s face came into my vision. I gasped, shock making me go limp as I had sworn I’d never see him again.
The last thing I remembered was being dragged from him, kicking and screaming, while he sought to get to me from under a pile of bodies hacking at him. An unexpected swell of emotion rose in me as I gazed into his concerned purple eyes. Tears gathered on my lashes and I sniffed before launching myself at him. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and buried my face in his neck as I wailed, “I thought you were dead!”
“Rian,” he murmured, as he hugged me to his chest. I sobbed into his skin, ignoring our companions, because I believed it was going to be okay as long as Mikko was alive and well. I pulled back, my hands running over his skin as I searched for wounds. Other than dried blood caked on his scales, he seemed okay.
