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Liam closed the door behind the alien and got a better look at him under the orb of light floating several centimeters from the ceiling. He wore a rough cloth cloak that hung like a V over his chest and down to his waist in front and knees in the back, the cloak’s brown hood hanging behind his head. His pants were tight and done up with white string at the waist. The alien’s feet were bare and looked the most primeval of all. They had yellow hooked claws at the tips and a strong, muscular shape.
“My name is Nix, I’m one of the Dinari servants for this spire.”
“Tell me your parents didn’t name you Nix,” Saturn asked.
Liam shot her a glance and she looked away, embarrassed. The last thing they needed was to make enemies in a foreign land.
“It was given to me by the Caretaker. The Dinari are not supposed to question the Caretaker.”
“Why are you here?” Liam asked.
“I come to warn you. Ragnar is not what he seems.”
Saturn stood up, pointing at Liam, and said, “I told you.”
Liam held up a hand in response.
“Hold on. Nix, what do you mean?”
Nix unfolded his hands, standing tall under the single light of the room, deep shadows arising in the crevices of his many scales. “Tomorrow night, the Ansarans plan to give you over to the Kraven Throng.”
“The Kraven Throng?” Ju-Long said. “I thought they were enemies of the Ansarans? How did you come by this information?”
“They are enemies, but your presence grants a unique opportunity for Ragnar. He is a low-ranking member of House Ansara, but if he were able to broker a peace with the Kraven Throng he would greatly increase his status. These are things I hear when serving in the chambers. They think me stupid and say things they ought not to in front of me.”
Liam scratched the long scar on his right cheek and thought about the meeting with Ragnar. He was searching for something. It struck him that Ragnar may not have known why the Throng wanted his crew, but the fact that they did was off-putting to him. Ragnar seemed like someone who wanted control over all aspects of a situation, and whatever deal he was making with the Throng must have been out of his comfort zone. “What does the Kraven Throng want with us anyway?”
“I don’t know, but if I were you, I wouldn’t want to find out.”
Ju-Long sat up on his mat and crossed his legs, leaning his elbows down on his knees. “Ragnar spoke of the Ansara Alliance. He said the Dinari were their cousins.”
“He would say that,” Nix replied. “Don’t be fooled, the name is a misnomer. The Dinari have served the Ansarans for thousands of years. The proof is in our skin. The Dinari have evolved rough scales over dozens of millennia working outdoors; every form of manual labor imaginable. The Ansarans can’t even go outside on most worlds without protecting their skin. The Dinari have grown much stronger over the generations.”
“If that’s so,” Ju-Long said, “Why don’t the Dinari fight for their independence?”
“Most Dinari have been brought up to be subservient. We are taught in our schools to serve and our parents have known no other way. There are some among us that think differently, but their divergent mindset is rare, their numbers small.”
“Are you one of those few?” Saturn asked, intrigued.
Nix appeared uncomfortable, shifting his gaze between each of the crew.
“At the moment my only concern is for your safety.”
“Why help us?” Liam asked.
“I will not stand by and watch another race be used as bartering chips as we have been. I warn you to give you the chance my race never had, at least in recent memory. If the stories are true, the Kraven Throng will be a far worse evil than the Ansarans. An alliance between them cannot come to exist.”
“What will that mean for this world?” Saturn asked.
“If peace is garnered between Ansarans and Kraven, the Dinari stand to suffer. But not only would the Dinari be in danger. The Ansarans would become an unstoppable force, free to take over system after system. I do not know where your world is, but this alliance could not be good for your race either.”
“Do the Ansarans or the Kraven have the ability to open a wormhole?” Saturn asked.
At the mention of a wormhole Nix backed against the far wall, pressing his shoulders into the smooth surface. Nix was skittish, showing minor twitches along his face. “There are stories,” he began, adjusting the hood on his cloak nervously. “But I worry they are just that. There is a Dinari in the city below who knows things. He is a collector of information and he distributes it as he sees fit. I will not lie, he is not friendly, but he’s helped me before and under the right circumstances he’ll help me again.”
Liam didn’t like the sound of this Dinari already. He sounded like any one of the countless mercenary leaders he’d dealt with in his time freelancing. They would do anything for a credit and cared only for themselves. It wasn’t so long ago Liam felt the same way. Being on the mine, even just for a year, could change a person’s perspective.
Saturn shot Liam a frightened look. “If the Ansarans or the Kraven Throng have ability to open a wormhole, we need to put a stop to it. Earth wouldn’t stand a chance. Even if they’re stories, we need to follow up on this.”
Liam put a hand against the cold wall and leaned his weight against it. He brushed aside his long blond hair, still stained with sweat and caked with sand from the day that wouldn’t seem to end. He looked between Saturn, Ju-Long, and Nix. “The first order of business is getting out of here. We’re no use to anyone if we get handed over to the Throng. Nix, can you get us out?”
Nix pushed away from the wall and raised his thick brown hood over the top portion of his face. Deep shadows cut under his eyes and a smile curved up from his long mouth revealing many pointed teeth. For the first time, he spoke confidently, “I know the way.”
The Corsair Uprising #1: The Azure Key Page 15
