Must Remember: Dead or alive, they want her back. (Solum Series Book 1)

by Colleen S. Myers

  The breath I’d been holding rushed out. “My name is Elizabeth, err, Beta. I’m—.”

  “What are you doing here?” he interrupted.

  “I’m not sure. I woke up out there—”I pointed around me, then pointed to my head. “I was hurt, I think, I don’t know. Where am I?”

  Running my hands through my hair, I probed the back of my neck. Nada. My head felt better. Huh. Hadn’t there been a cut?

  The tall guy laughed, “You did not just wake up out there. You had to have traveled here. This is nowhere. Tell me the truth.”

  The last was a shout. The more he talked, the more agitated he became. He almost stuttered his words. Or maybe that was just me? How could I understand him? His right hand clenched and unclenched around the hilt of his knife. He edged even closer, pushing me farther back against the tree.

  Compared to me, he was huge, at least six feet tall. There was no trace of fat on him. His muscles rippled as he leaned in and placed his face next to mine. I remained still, trying not to piss him off. Tears threatened, but I blinked them away. Damn allergies.

  His eyes ignited at my silence.

  “How did you get out here?” he gritted out between compressed lips.

  “I told you the truth. I don’t know how I got here. I woke up out there. I felt something thumping and moved toward it.” I gestured, looking at him and the others who surrounded us.

  “Are there more of you?” he pushed.

  I recalled the laughter, the crash, and the cold from earlier, but…didn’t mention it. I hadn’t seen anything.

  “Are there more of you?” he growled.

  “No. When I woke up, no one else was there.”

  “That is not an answer.”

  “Yes, it is,” I retorted. It really was an answer.

  “No, it is not,” he snarled at me. His hand gripped his knife harder, knuckles whitening. He took the blade out of its sheath and flipped it backward. His nose grazed mine, and heat spread in its wake. My heart skipped a beat. I stared straight ahead.

  Minty breath wafted across my face, and his teeth were not bad, a bit pointy, but otherwise normal. At least he brushed, or I hoped he did because he was at kissing distance. The rest of the men remained motionless. Barbarian Santa’s gaze darted between the tall guy and me.

  I was splayed against the bark like road kill.

  “Tell me!” he shouted.

  And with that I was done. All the tension, all the fear, all the questions rolling through my mind, and this guy was yelling at me. Screw him. Plus, there was something about him I liked but didn’t, all at the same time. It was confusing. My stomach churned. I didn’t need this. None of this was my fault.

  “What do you want from me?” I screamed back. “I said I was alone.”

  He reared back a bit, startled by my answering shout and glare, which he couldn’t miss, since he was still right there in my face.

  “I do not believe you. You are an Imani.” The tall guy spit the name out as if it left a bad taste in his mouth.

  Who the hell were the Imani? A vague silhouette formed in my mind, then faded away. Something else I didn’t know; great. I added it to the list.

  “You wear Imani clothes. You are an Imani spy!” His words were triumphant as he pressed his knife against my throat.

  When I swallowed, I felt the prick of the blade, and a trickle of blood dripped down my neck. My head swam and my bladder loosened a bit, but I refused to give him the satisfaction.

  His eyes flickered, confused, as the moment stretched on.

  We maintained our desperate eye contact.

  I panted and the longer this went on, the more my muscles tightened until my fingers went numb. I tasted violence on the wind.

  Neither of us moved. Ten seconds. Twenty. He blinked first and let his dagger drop with a growl and spat next to me on the grown. “Imani treza.”

  I didn’t know what he just called me, but it was too much. I was done. I snapped and started shoving him across the field. “I’m not Imani. I don’t even know who or what that is. You asshole. I’m from Earth. I don’t know where I am; I don’t know how I got here. I don’t know anything! I need help and you aren’t helping me. Please, help me.”

  At this last, my voice cracked, and I fell to my knees, shoulders falling.

  The tall guy seemed so stunned by my response, he’d let me push him back to the mine. He stared at me for a long second. One. Two. He brought his blade up again. It pressed into my neck forcing my head back. Then with nary a word, he dropped his arm.

  My throat burned.

  Oh.

  Huh. Everything started to fade and the world turned black.

  Chapter Four

  Frigid water splashed my face. I gasped and sat straight up, dazed. The liquid dribbled down my cheeks. My hands and feet were bound in front of me. This time, I knew where I was; at least, I remembered waking up on a rock and stumbling into the clearing with the asshole and his buddies.

  My hands flew to my neck. I didn’t feel anything. I looked down. No blood. He didn’t cut me? I must’ve swooned. How about that? Laughter rose in my throat, but I swallowed it back.

  The tall guy and barbarian Santa watched me, brows furrowed.

  I licked the water off my lips then looked at the cup in the tall guy’s hand. I stuck out my bound hands and wordlessly demanded it. To my surprise, he relented.

  I sipped the remaining water and took in my surroundings. I was still in the clearing, on the ground, by the cave entrance. The squatting men had resumed looking at their machine. The two big guys loomed over me. I scooted backward until my spine pressed against a rock, and we stared each other down.

  Santa reached out and grasped my collar, his voice smooth, low and echoey.

  “This is the Imani shivat. How did you get it?” Shiv-what? Was that a language fail? Santa seemed much more reasonable than the first guy; he must be Good Cop.

  “This?” I grabbed the cuff of the uniform.

  He nodded.

  “I’m not sure.” Both men gazed at me with raised brows. “I mean it,” I burst out. “I don’t remember how I got out here or why I’m dressed like this.” I motioned to the shivat. “This isn’t me. This isn’t where I’m from. Trust me on this.”

  “You are Imani. The Imani are our enemies. You are our enemy. You would kill us if you could.” The tall guy, aka Bad Cop, sounded like a broken record as he stooped and invaded my personal space yet again. His logic seemed unassailable, except for the fact that it was dead wrong. Santa placed a restraining hand on his shoulder.

  “I don’t want to hurt anyone. I don’t know who these ‘Imani’ are, but I’m human. I don’t know you. I don’t know anything. I just woke up out there.” I jutted my chin and clenched my teeth. My eyes burned. I hated that I cried when I got upset. My daddy always said it was a weakness. Do not cry, Beta.

  They studied me. Bad Cop leaned back. Santa whispered something, to which he nodded and continued staring at me.

  I breathed fast, my head spinning. I still smelled mint, and it confused me. How could I be attracted to this asshole? Had to be the head injury.

  “We do not know you; you wear our enemy’s clothes. We cannot leave you out here. You could report back to the Imani about what you have seen. You will have to come with us.” Bad Cop made a sour face as he said this. The idea appeared to please him about as much as it did me.

  He grabbed my arm and yanked me up.

  I lurched when he set me on my feet. With my ankles bound, I wouldn’t be able to walk far. We both glanced down at the bonds on my ankles. I wiggled one foot at him jauntily.

  The tall guy observed me and my wiggling toes, then bent down and cut the rope.

  I stared down at the back of his head. My hand hovered over his hair. I could hit him and run away. Santa was distracted…but that would get me exactly nowhere. They might seem hostile, but they hadn’t hurt me and they could’ve hurt me. Hell, they should’ve hurt me. I wore their enemy’s shi
vat. Instead, they gave me water, and where we were going held the promise of food and more water. And shelter. I was on an alien freaking planet. Better to be smart. I didn’t know the area, and if I ran, I’d wander around blind. And something was out there. The laughter echoed in my head again, and my fingers shook above his head. For now, it was best to cooperate.

  As if sensing my thoughts, Bad Cop looked up at me from under his lashes; a slight smile played on his lips. He knew I was trapped. That annoyed me. I narrowed my eyes, reached out and pulled his hair as if in slow motion. And there went smart.

  I couldn’t believe I just did that. I kept my face down and stared at his chest. It wasn’t a bad chest. Smooth. Hairless, corded with muscles. Kind of nice actually. God, Beta, mind out of the gutter. What was wrong with me?

  He jerked back in shock. Hah. With a growl, he stood and moved into my personal space. If I turned my head, we’d be at kissing range again. This guy loved to get into my grill. I waited to see his reaction.

  An endless moment later, he tossed his hair and started forward with a snarled, “Follow.”

  Well, how about that. He let it slide.

  When I hesitated, Santa shoved me forward, and I fell to my knees.

  The tall guy came back and flashed his eyes at Santa, then watched as I blundered to my feet. We trekked forward, out through the left side of the clearing. Santa and the other men stayed behind. My hands remained bound in front of me. He set a fast pace, and I struggled to keep up. Damn, I need longer legs.

  As we walked, the suns sank lower in the sky. Seconds passed into minutes, minutes into eternity. I felt like I’d been walking forever, but it’d only been an hour or two. Hunger twisted my gut. I wondered if the tall guy had any food on him. Given how tight his leathers appeared, probably not. My eyes lingered on his ass. His butt rippled under the smooth fabric. Nice. I jerked my gaze up. My cheeks burned. Focus, Beta, no drooling.

  I didn’t know if I could keep up this pace forever.

  “Where are we?” He ignored me, so I repeated myself, much louder. “Where are we?”

  “We are in the canyon,” he said, each word sounded like I dragged it out of him.

  “I can see we’re in a canyon. Where’s this canyon located?”

  “In the mountains.”

  Is that how it was going to be?

  “No shit?” He looked puzzled and before he could elaborate on the lack of excrement, I pushed forward. “What mountains?”

  He gave me a strange look. Dude, I told you I wasn’t from here.

  “The Adak Mountains.” He paused. “I will not tell you anything more. I will not give you directions to my home that you can pass on to the Imani.”

  The Imani again.

  “That makes no sense. If the Imani placed me here, they obviously know where you are already,” I pointed out.

  His glare blistered me and he walked faster. Damn it.

  “Where are we going?” I persisted.

  “My home.”

  “And where’s your home?” I asked.

  “In the canyon.”

  Master of the obvious. “Are we close?”

  “No.”

  A few minutes passed.

  “How much longer, do you think?” His silence spoke for itself. “Really, come on, I’m cold and hungry and my feet hurt,” I whined.

  “I told you, no more.” He tossed this over his shoulder as he paced even farther ahead of me.

  A few more minutes passed.

  “Are we there yet?”

  “No.”

  Petty of me, I knew, but oh so satisfying. I opened my mouth to start again when my stomach rolled. I bent over and caught my breath. The sick feeling could be the hunger or the head injury. I reached up to touch my neck. Again, when my hand came back, there was no blood and no pain. I looked up. Bad Cop was too far ahead to annoy. It was better that way. The only thing I’d learned so far was the quickest way to piss him off, which I was pretty sure I accomplished just by breathing.

  Pretty soon, he was going to be out of sight. I wondered if he realized. Yep. He turned around and gave me a nasty look. Hello to you too. I started walking, a little slower, forcing him to stop and head back every so often.

  The shadows lengthened, and the larger sun began to set, its brother close behind. A few spare raindrops hit me. A thunderstorm would just be the cherry on top of my day.

  My mind drifted as I tried to recall anything about how I got here. Why couldn’t I remember anything? None of this made sense. Nausea rose. My mom, Sarah. They were fine.

  I was so lost in my thoughts I came this close to plowing over Grumpy Gills before I noticed he’d stopped. He scrunched up his face as he gestured for me to precede him.

  We turned a corner around yet another bend.

  A large, ornate gate loomed ahead. They’d built onto and into the arch that fronted the canyon. Life-like engravings played with the natural color and flow of the stone. They blazed across the surface. One scene detailed a battle; men fought with swords flashing, and ships flew overhead.

  Another showed two people holding each other, locked in a kiss, long limbs entwined. A tracing of a cat-like figure—standing upright with an abnormally long tongue—was so real my fingers itched to stroke it. The cat, not the tongue.

  “Beautiful.” Picture after picture flowed across the gate. I stepped forward to get a better view, my hands raised to touch, until the scrape of a sword leaving its scabbard caught my attention.

  Then I noted two guards standing at attention in front of the arch, next to a small gatehouse built into the wall. A glint caught my eye from one of the barred windows, the reflection off a weapon perhaps?

  Bad Cop strutted forward, with me trailing behind. The guards tensed as we got closer; one raised his sword and swung it. The tall guy’s gait didn’t falter. He reached over and grabbed my bound hands, holding them up. “She is not a threat. Let us pass.”

  The guards paused then motioned us onward. A runner exited the guardhouse and ran ahead while we continued along the dirt path, through another small grass clearing, and into the city proper.

  Chapter Five

  I glimpsed a large, pristine, blue-green lake. Its surface glistened in the waning sunlight. A lone dock extended into the water. Two boats danced on the waves.

  The town centered on that lake, the buildings spread out in a grid from its shores.

  Farthest away from me, on high ground, were large square buildings with sloped roofs. Some of the buildings were elaborate, with glass windows, covered porches, and surrounding gardens. To the left side of the lake were tiered fields. That had to be their food source. I wasn’t close enough to see what they were growing, but there were various green and brown plants in evenly spaced, regimented lines.

  The other side of the lake housed several smaller square buildings in parallel rows, with a large central courtyard near the water. There were carvings hollowed out along the sides of some of the structures.

  Scattered thorn bushes and flowers that resembled dandelions and daisies spread throughout the area. Trees surrounded the town. They were tall and dark, covered in spikes alternating with feathery fronds, like a weeping willow, yet not.

  I reached out and touched the spike on one of the nearby trees. A thick green liquid dripped onto my finger. Ugh, sticky. My fingers started to burn, and I wiped them off on my uniform.

  Rocks dotted the area. The air remained chill, and a few rays of sunlight peeked through the haze to shine down on the town.

  “Where are we?” I whispered.

  If I’d had any doubt before I was on another world, I didn’t now. There was something about this place. I couldn’t describe it. One second, it looked similar to Earth. I could close my eyes and imagine, for one moment, I was home; then I turned and noticed the color of the grass, the shape of the trees, and it threw me.

  I didn’t know how to cope with this. My hand drifted over my stomach as it twisted like a pretzel.

  While I
gawked at the city, Bad Cop came up behind me, close behind me, a little too close. My skin tightened.

  “Groos,” he said, then punched my right shoulder and pointed to a cobblestone trail leading into the town. I shrugged off his touch and moved in the indicated direction.

  As we got closer, I saw more details. The homes were constructed from the trees. The wood was a medium brown color I likened to oak. I’m not sure what held it all together; the sap maybe? Small, murky glass windows inhabited the front. Overall, they reminded me of log cabins, from the outside.

  A few of the dwellings had bas-relief figures and symbols on the front that meant little to me. Some rustic furniture sat scattered about, and piles of flowers struggled to survive. The townspeople had tried to enliven the area, but despite their efforts, it appeared somewhat bleak. Stone paths ran in front of and between the houses. No one was nearby when we sauntered into town near sunset.

  Bad Cop led me to one of the homes near the edge of the city. A few orange and red flowers that looked kind of like mums graced the front. I saw some lettering over the door. Smoke rose from the chimney.

  When we entered, an older man turned from an open fireplace with a pot bubbling over it. He smiled and waved us in.

  The heat from the fire went straight to my head. I damn near swooned, it felt so good. I hadn’t realized how cold I’d gotten. Inside and out.

  “Who is this, Finn?” the older man said. His voice rasped with the echoing quality I’d begun to associate with them. Oh, asshole’s name was Finn.

  “An Imani. She claims she woke up out in the mountains and stumbled upon the mines. We need more information.” Finn slanted him a look.

  The old guy nodded and turned to look me over. “Imani? She does not look Imani, not at all. Look at her. She has orange hair and blue eyes. She is too full of color to be Imani.” He winked at me and ushered me toward the fire.

  Finn grabbed the collar of my uniform as I passed. “Imani.”

  I smacked his hand away and scowled. One more touch. My anger must’ve leaked into my expression, because he smiled and leaned toward me, in my face yet again. I leaned forward to meet him. I wasn’t scared of him anymore. Well, I was a little, but I was no wuss.