by Raine Thomas
He reached for his weapon just as Orran and Barto finished their descent. By the time they turned to face him, he had his weapon leveled at chest height. Unfortunately, they both had their weapons drawn, too.
“Well, well, well,” Barto said in a tinny voice that echoed. “I wondered if ya might survive, considerin’ how ya healed after yer arrival the other day. Judgin’ by the condition of yer gear, ya made it ta the Gift.”
Ty knew then that he had been set up. He’d suspected it before he lost consciousness, but their presence and Barto’s words confirmed it.
His gaze moved to the ropes Barto and Orran had used to descend. Reider had to be at the top of the hole on the rover. Ty looked back at the two males with their weapons aimed at him and made a decision. He put his weapon away.
Look at me, he conveyed through the move. I’m no threat.
“I didn’t make it all the way to the Gift,” he lied. “I’m out of air. The poison was too potent without ventilation. But if you give me a fresh canister, I know I can get to the Gift. I can get as much as you want.”
“He’s lyin’,” Orran sneered.
“Look,” Ty said, lifting his hands in a further sign of passivity, “I don’t want to be indebted to you. I just want to go on my way. You give me the air, I get you the Gift, we call ourselves square and part ways. Reider already told me how valuable it is, so don’t pretend my offer doesn’t interest you.”
“Barto—”
“Shut up, Orran,” Barto snapped. “Go back up and get the spare air canister we keep on board.”
“But—”
“Now, damn it!”
Ty kept his gaze on Barto as Orran cursed and turned to climb back up the rope. Unlike on the climb down, he had to strap his weapon to his back so both of his hands were free. Ty registered that without breaking eye contact with Barto. He kept his hands up and away from his sides to show that he was no threat.
Then he waited.
He and Barto stared at each other in silence as Orran started up the rope. Ty knew the sickly man’s strength was questionable. He’d never make it all the way up without some kind of assistance.
Sure enough, he made it less than twenty feet up before the cursing started. Ty finally looked away from Barto, his eyes shifting up to Orran as if concerned the man was about to fall. Barto instinctively followed Ty’s gaze.
It took Ty less than two seconds to disarm Barto and knock him unconscious with his own weapon.
“Son of a—”
“You might as well come back down, Orran,” Ty said calmly as he aimed Barto’s weapon up at him. “We both know you’ll never make it to the top.”
Orran cursed repeatedly, but he eased back down the rope. When he stood at the bottom, he made a fumbling grab for his weapon.
Ty dropped him with a single blow. Thinking of Hope, he used his fist instead of his weapon.
He disarmed both males in case they regained consciousness before he climbed to the top. Then he grabbed a rope and started up.
His years of training came to his aid. The pain was starting to return, filling his lungs with waves of heated agony. Every movement felt like his joints were about to snap. It was all about mind over matter, though. He’d survived worse.
Before too long, he was at the top. He wasn’t sure what might be awaiting him, so he hauled himself out and rolled away from the grate as fast as he could, removing his weapon as he did. By the time he came to a stop, he was lying on his belly with his weapon aimed up at a stunned-looking Reider standing on the rover.
“They made me do it!” Reider declared, holding his hands high. “I swear, I didn’t want to. Barto said he’d haul me out to Marauder territory and leave me there if I didn’t go along with his plan. He would’ve done it, too.”
Ty got to his feet, but he didn’t lower his weapon. “You’re going to give me the spare air canister and then you’ll take me to the mine. What you do from there is up to you, but I’ll let you know that Barto and Orran are still alive down there.”
“B-but I can’t drive the rover,” Reider stammered.
“I can.”
“No, I mean Barto programmed it so only he can drive. I don’t know the code to operate it. If anyone but him tries to drive it, the rover will be disabled.”
Ty considered this. He didn’t know enough about mechanics to feel comfortable trying to override the security measure.
“I’ll give you what I can,” Reider insisted, filling the silence. His high pitch said that he thought Ty was debating whether or not to kill him.
“Air,” Ty repeated.
“Yes, sir.”
Suddenly feeling ancient, Ty approached the rover as Reider hurried to get the spare canister. He thought again of the several young people he had seen out here and wondered how the Guardians could possibly be okay with that. Of course, they had hardly held any affection for their own daughter. Why should they care about anyone else?
It surprised him to think of Kyr without it causing him uncontainable anguish. His mind went back to the scream he had heard. Orran had heard it, too. Had he somehow generated the sound with whatever abilities the Guardians had inadvertently left him?
Had he projected the scream that Kyr hadn’t been able to voice as he killed her?
Now, the pain hit him. He shook his head at himself as Reider walked over with the canister. He should have known better than to think about it.
“Move to the middle of the rover and put your hands up,” Ty told Reider, who shifted to do what he said.
Ty made quick work of replacing his air canister, watching Reider closely in case he needed to go for his weapon. Reider stood as still as a stature, though, making no move to try and stop him.
“I do want you to find the mine,” Reider said as though he had read Ty’s mind. “I want the people who killed my sister brought to justice.”
Considering Reider’s words, Ty adjusted his mask and reached for his weapon. He tried them out in his head.
I want the person who killed Kyr brought to justice.
Unfortunately, his own image was all that came to mind. A flood of guilt and misery followed.
He guessed he wasn’t quite there yet.
“I’ll get to the mine,” he said. “Assuming the map you drew me yesterday was accurate.”
Reider’s head bobbed. “Yes, sir. It was, I swear. Barto doesn’t know I did that. He just wanted me to tell you I could get you there.”
“All right.” He turned to go, then looked back at Reider. “I’ll drop Barto and Orran’s weapons along the way. You can search for them after I’m gone. I don’t intend to rob you or leave you helpless if Marauders find you, but I can’t have you firing on me, either. I trust you’ll stay away from your own weapon until I’m out of sight. Tell Hope I’m sorry to leave so suddenly.”
Reider blinked over the last sentence. “Uh. Okay.”
“Look, Reider, I know this is a lot to ask of someone so young, but keep an eye on her. When you see her, think of your sister. She’s trying to watch out for all of you, but that leaves no one to watch out for her.”
Reider nodded slowly. His shoulders straightened. “I will.”
It was the best Ty could do. He turned in the direction that the map inside his head indicated and headed off. Although he didn’t think that Reider would shoot him in the back, he moved at angles and got behind the first decaying ruin he could. He placed the extra weapons he held beside the ruin where they’d be found easily. Perhaps it made him a fool to part with them, but he already had his own weapon and didn’t want to leave the Harvesters helpless. He knew why they had gambled and sent him into Death’s Door. He’d experienced how they lived. The temptation offered by the Gift of the Yen-Ki must have been impossible for them to pass up.
No, the fault of what they’d done didn’t lay entirely with them. It largely lay with the people who had forced them into this godforsaken existence. It was increasingly important that he consider that fact.
His energy didn�
�t flag as he continued in the direction of the mine. His healing abilities had kicked in, and combined with the fresh air canister, he was perfectly comfortable as he jogged along. The sun changed position in the sky, marking the passage of time, but he didn’t stop. His mind was on his ultimate destination. He’d run until he tired, and then he’d find someone to give him food and shelter for a few hours.
He didn’t account for the vehicle that he heard a short while later.
It was in the distance, he determined as he stopped running, but it was heading in his direction. The noise it made told him it wasn’t the Harvesters’ rover.
Thinking fast, he hurried over to the base of a nearby fountain made of illuvite. The bluish-purple structure was the only thing still intact within what had once been the courtyard of a sprawling homestead. The homeowners had obviously been wealthy. Illuvite was precious on Alametria. Its stores had been depleted when the Vawn used the nearly impenetrable mineral to build the palace.
He knelt beside the fountain and dug a hole with his gloved hands. Once he was done, he pulled the container of the Gift from his sack and buried it. The engine noise grew louder as he left the courtyard, covering his tracks as he went.
From there, he made his way to a more open area, changing his route a few times as the vehicle neared. No point in letting the unknown vehicle track him back to the Gift. At this point, it was his only bargaining chip.
Soon enough, the vehicle came into sight. Ty stopped walking and watched it approach. Like the rover, this one had been pieced together from a number of different parts. It moved and sounded like a sand skimmer, but hovered like an air cutter. It had the flat, exposed surface of a rover, but the armored underbelly of a transport.
He supposed all that really mattered was that its deck was lined with Marauders, and they all held weapons aimed at his heart.
Chapter 37
“Would you stop squirming?”
“I can’t help it. You’re tickling me.”
Gren heaved a put-upon sigh over Kyr’s comment. He was in the process of helping her change into what EyraRowe had assured them was clothing that fit the style worn by most people in the Dark Lands. She had only seen a few of the articles of clothing—including the corset Gren was trying his best to cinch over her white top—in pictures. Putting them on was proving a challenge. It didn’t help that they were doing it in the tiny storage unit of a one-man fighter craft.
“Is Eyra sure this is supposed to go on over my clothes?” she asked, adjusting the corset so it cupped her breasts in the most comfortable way that such a contraption possibly could. “I thought these things were worn under gowns.”
“He said so,” Gren responded in his rumbling voice, “but then he’s not really of sound mind. Stop squirming!”
She rolled her eyes. He kept brushing her sides as he tugged the black leather corset into place. Was it her fault that her ribs were ticklish?
To distract herself, she looked out the small window in the storage bay. The landscape outside zipped by so fast that it was all a pink blur. Eyra had kept his word in regards to promising to get them to the Dark Lands in the fastest non-spacecraft possible. It was worth suffering in the cramped space for now if it meant getting to Ty as quickly as possible.
There, Gren thought. Good luck getting out of that thing.
She looked down at herself. Her outfit was a strange collaboration of several different styles. She wore black knee-high combat boots paired with black-and-white striped leggings under a curve-hugging black leather skirt that only covered her to mid-thigh. Under the equally tight black corset, she had on a lacy, long-sleeved white top that showed an uncomfortable amount of cleavage. When she looked up at Gren, she noticed that his scarred eyebrow had lifted as he also surveyed her attire.
“What?” she asked.
He cleared his throat and looked away. “Nothing. I’m going to get changed.”
“Okay.”
She puzzled over his reaction, but figured he was just unused to her being in such a, well, different outfit.
He thinks you look hot.
Kyr blinked over Sem’s comment. Was that true? Geez, no wonder Gren had looked uncomfortable when she caught him staring.
You do look hot.
Sem…
Sorry.
She knew he really wasn’t, though.
A long-sleeved black bolero was meant to complete her outfit, so she shrugged it on and then returned her gaze to the window to give Gren a little privacy.
Eyra better drop you off in the right place, Sem thought. That guy’s flakier than Tony the Tiger.
She smiled over the Earth reference to Frosted Flakes cereal. I read his thoughts. He has a lot of holes, but I picked up the truth. He deliberately dropped Ty off in an area he thought would be safe, just like Gren thought. He didn’t track the exact coordinates in case his thoughts were read when he got back to the palace. He’s going to deposit us as close to the same place as he can. Gren asked him to try and get us a safe enough distance from where he dropped Ty that we can scope things out.
Yeah, well, it’s scary that you two are heading out into a virtually unknown area with only the information offered by a guy who often forgets his own name.
You’re not making this any easier, Sem.
Sorry.
This time, she sensed he actually was.
Eyra had told them everything he knew about the Dark Lands and the Outcasts, as those who lived in the Dark Lands were called. Unfortunately, it didn’t amount to much.
“Okay, I’m ready.”
Kyr glanced back at Gren. Like her, he wore black. Knee-high black boots with numerous, wicked-looking buckles along the sides. Black leather pants that clung to his muscular thighs. A tight, long-sleeved black shirt that looked like a cross between fabric and armor. And black-and-silver shoulder and thigh harnesses that housed enough weapons to make him look like the one-man army he was.
You think he’s hot.
Shut up, Sem.
“I want to wear my blades,” she said to Gren, trying to ignore the heat Sem had caused to spring to her cheeks.
Gren tossed her the harness holding the Ora blades, which she secured around her waist. Her hair was pulled back in a practical knot at the nape of her neck. Eyra had told them that they would have to wear masks, air canisters, and goggles, so they each put them on. By the time they were done, the aircraft began lowering in altitude.
Her heart thrummed in a combination of fear and anticipation. No matter what awaited them, she would deal with it so she could get to Ty.
The aircraft landed with the slightest bump. Kyr exchanged glances and nods with Gren, then moved up to the cockpit with him by her side. Eyra had agreed to let her use her abilities on him before he headed back to the palace.
“Thank you so much for this, Eyra,” she said to him as she took his hand. “I won’t forget it.”
He smiled at her. “Anything for you, Ma’jah. You kick their asses, eh?”
She returned his smile. “We will.”
You took this craft for a test run because it had mechanical issues the last time you flew it, she conveyed. One of the gauges issued a warning during the flight, so you stopped to check it out. Nothing is wrong, though. You’re going to take off and return to base. If anyone asks, this is what you’ll tell them.
Eyra didn’t respond, but she knew her influence had worked. She and Gren hurried to collect their things and disembark. They hadn’t even cleared the safe zone before the craft took back off. Debris pelted them like darts from a gun. Gren grabbed Kyr and spun them so he took most of the hits.
Guess I should have actually told him to wait before he left, huh? she thought sheepishly.
Gren just gave her one of his looks. They both glanced around to get an idea of where they were. She conveyed it all to Sem.
Looks like piles of pink garbage, he told her.
Yeah.
Guess you’re riding fourth-class, Ma’jah.
; Ha ha. How are things going at the palace?
Vycor is freaking out. He’s questioned everyone he can think of, including me. He hasn’t discovered anything, though.
Of course he hasn’t.
I have a feeling it’s going to be a long day.
Tell me about it, she commiserated.
Although she didn’t have high hopes, she tried to reach out to Ty with her mind. Maybe their connection had been weakened by geography. Her thoughts went nowhere, though. She briefly considered trying to tap into the abilities she was holding for Ty in order to search for his specific thought signature, but dismissed the idea. Not only was she unsure how to do it, she had a feeling that bringing forth Ty’s abilities would lead to disaster.
Defeated, she paid more attention to their environment. The amount of devastation around them had her eyes widening. It was a little like the Terminator movies she remembered watching on Earth, but with more color. The ruins were largely pink, purple, and blue, rising in deceptively cheerful colors to touch the deadly dark pink sky.
She shivered, half-expecting a robot to climb out of the wreckage and start shooting at them. Gren sent the response that they were much more likely to encounter a human attacker than anything artificial.
That gave her another chill. She didn’t say anything when he started in the direction that Eyra had suggested. She just followed him and stayed alert.
We’re being watched, Gren thought. Scan for trouble.
Kyr opened up her abilities and reached out to any minds in the area. Gren was right. They were being watched…by quite a large number of people.
They think we’re from a group called the Marauders, she told him as she pulled information from the many thoughts. It’s our black clothing.
Damn Eyra.
They call themselves Peace Keepers. They’re wondering why there are only two of us. None of them recognize us, so they’re thinking we’ve gone rogue. They’re debating whether to question us or just kill us.
Shit.
That last thought had come from Sem. He was following their progress. Ignoring him, she tuned into a mind that felt the most commanding. She knew immediately that the person was about to give the kill order.
