“You old enough to be drinking, young lady?” he asked me.
I leaned closer to him. “Today is my eighteenth birth year,” I said. “So, yes.”
He smiled wide at me and leaned closer, as if understanding I didn't want to be overheard. “Well then, happy birth year to you – what's your name?”
“Vur,” I said. “My name is Vur.”
“Well, happy birth year to you, Vur,” he said.
I smiled. “Thank you. So, how much is a glass of – that?”
He poured a glass – smaller than the ones in front of the men at the bar, I noticed – of the liquid and set it before me. “This here is the finest Ozol you're gonna find in all of Unduth.”
“That sounds – wonderful,” I said. “How much?”
“This one's on the house, young Vur,” he said. “Call it a birth year present.”
I gave him a small smile. “Thank you, sir,” I said. “That's very kind.”
I raised my glass to him and took a drink – and immediately wished I hadn't. It was bitter and burned my throat as it went down. But there was a flavor to it that – once you got past the bitterness and burning – was actually quite delicious. But it took some effort to get past that bitterness.
I lowered the glass and coughed, feeling tears building up as I squeezed my eyes shut.
“First glass, huh?” the man asked.
I nodded, unable to form words at the moment. Eventually, the burning eased and I was able to open my eyes again. The man was looking at me, an amused expression on his face.
He leaned over again and looked around as if to make sure we weren't overheard. “You're from Kinray, aren't you?” he asked.
I felt my heart lurch and my blood run cold. Was I that obvious?
“W – Why would you ask me that?”
He smiled. “Because you don't seem like one of the scraps,” he replied. “You've got manners. And a gentle way about you that's not common.”
“Y – You know those people call you – that name?”
He laughed, a loud, booming sound. “Of course we do,” he said. “We wear it like a badge of honor, truth be told. It reminds us that we're not like them.”
I nodded. “Nor am I.”
“Is that why you're runnin'?” he asked. “Instead of packin' up to go to the Academy? Because you're different?”
I lowered my eyes and felt a sliver of fear stab through me. I was obviously not blending in anywhere near as well as I'd hoped. In fact, I apparently stood out like a bright light in the darkness. My hand trembled and I could feel the fear building up inside of me.
“Hey, don't worry,” the man said. “We don't judge anybody out here. You're safe out here.”
I shook my head. “I fear that I'm not safe.”
He cocked his head. “What do you mean?”
“I mean that I ran away just before my birth year celebration,” I said. “I'm quite sure my father will be sending his guard to find me.”
He nodded and smirked at me. “Yeah, those wealthy folks certainly enjoy their traditions, don't they?”
I nodded and smiled. I couldn't believe I was telling this man – a complete stranger to me – all of this. In the back of my mind, I knew that I was endangering myself, but something told me that I could trust this man. And I trusted my instincts. I believed him when he said that nobody would judge me out here. That I would be safe – at least, as long as my father's guard didn't find me.
But I knew it was only a matter of time before they did.
“I don't subscribe to those traditions,” I said. “I consider it no better than slavery. I won't be forced to live that life or be a proper Unduthian woman.”
His smile was warm and genuine. “It's nice to know we out here aren't the only ones who despise them for their arrogance – and their traditions.”
“Perhaps you can help me with something?”
“If I can, sure.”
“I need to find a way off-world,” I said. “I'm looking for a pilot with a ship that can get me to Optorio.”
He stood up and scratched his chin, thinking about it for a moment. “Yeah, I might know somebody, actually. Of course, I dunno if they're gonna be clearing shuttles to fly out. Not after the bombing today.”
“Bombing?”
He nodded. “Yeah, at the factory. Killed a bunch of government soldiers. Needless to say, the government folk aren't all that thrilled with us scraps at the moment.”
I felt my stomach clench. That threw a wrench into my plans. If I weren't able to get off-world – that night – I feared that I might not get off-world at all. I knew that my time was beginning to dwindle, knew that my father's guards were closing in. It was only a matter of time before they found this marketplace – and found me in it.
“But these guys I know,” he said. “They might be willing to fly you out – off the radar. But it would cost.”
I nodded, feeling a blossom of hope within my breast. “I can pay.”
The man nodded. “Just be sure to bargain with them,” he said. “Whatever you do, don't agree to their first price. Drive a hard bargain and don't get taken.”
I wasn't quite sure how to bargain with them – or with anybody for that matter, but I would try. My resources were limited and I wasn't keen on wasting any of it.
“Thank you,” I said. “Thank you so much.”
He nodded and then I saw him look up, a worried expression on his face.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Your father's guard,” he said. “They wouldn't happen to wear black and red armor, would they?”
I turned and followed his gaze – and felt a fist of ice squeezing my heart. A dozen men in my father's uniform were working their way through the crowd.
“You should go,” he said. “Stay out of sight and be back here in an hour. I'll have the pilots here. Now go.”
I pulled my hood down low and walked away from the booth, heading for one of the ways out of the marketplace. My heart was beating so hard, I feared it was bruising the inside of my chest. I didn't dare look back and expected that any minute, I was going to feel a hand clamp down on my arm.
I was so focused on keeping my eyes on the ground and moving as quickly away from my father's guard as I could, I didn't see the man until I ran smack into him. We collided so hard, that we both went down, landing on our backsides.
I looked up at him with wide eyes and feeling that my hood had slipped, pulled it back up quickly.
“Watch where you're going, huh?” he snapped.
“I – I'm sorry,” I stammered. “I didn't mean to. My fault. I apologize.”
The man got to his feet and then surprisingly, held a hand out to me. I took his hand and let him help me up. I took a moment to sneak a look behind me and felt a jolt of fear as I saw my father's guard getting closer.
I looked up at the man I'd run into. “Please, I need your help,” I said. “I know it's forward, what with us not knowing each other, but I'm in trouble. I need your help.”
He looked at me, his expression hard, for a moment. “Help with what?”
“I need to get out of this marketplace,” I said quickly. “Now.”
He looked up, saw my father's guard closing in and seemed to put two and two together. Without a word, he took my hand, and acting as if we were a couple, led me out of the marketplace. We crossed through his village under the light of two of our three moons. With each step, I kept expecting to hear my name being called or feel one of the guardsmen grab hold of me.
“Keep walking,” the man said. “We're almost clear.”
I did as he said and allowed him to lead me to a small home. It was built with brick and wood, and was quite shabby and rundown looking. But then, it looked much like every other home I saw in the village. He opened the door and ushered me inside, closing and locking it behind us.
I looked around the main room once we got inside and was appalled by the mess. Furniture was broken and debris had been scattered eve
rywhere. A fire burned in the hearth, which was the only source of light. It was shabby, but I was thankful for it.
“Thank you,” I said, heaving a sigh of relief. “You saved me.”
“So, who are you?” he asked.
“I'm – Vur,” I said, repeating my well-practiced lie. “And you are?”
“My name is Byr.”
Chapter Eleven
Byr
I knew she wasn't a scrap the moment I laid eyes on her. She just had that upper class, elitist look about her. She definitely didn't fit in around the village. She had pale blue skin, hair that was a few shades darker, and white eye markings. And she just had that air of wealth and privilege about her that was unmistakable.
“Why are you running?” I asked. “I take it, those were your household's personal guard?”
She nodded and refused to meet my eyes. “Yes,” she said softly. “They were looking for me to bring me back.”
“Why did you run?” I repeated the question.
She sighed. “I – I didn't want to live the way they told me to live,” she said.
I picked up a couple of chairs – that thankfully hadn't been broken – and set them right side up near the hearth. I motioned for her to sit down and she did, still not meeting my eyes. She was a pretty girl and obviously had the refinement of the pampered elite. But the fact that she'd run away was curious to me.
“So, you ran away because what, your life as a little rich girl was too hard?”
Her eyes narrowed and she looked angry. “You wouldn't understand.”
“Try me.”
“You're a man,” she said. “You don't have to worry about your family treating you like a commodity rather than a daughter.”
“Yeah, well, I'm a scrap,” I snapped. “And you don't have to worry about the government sending troops to destroy your home and steal your family.”
She looked around the room as if seeing it for the first time. Her eyes widened slightly and when she looked at me, her expression was kind. Compassionate.
“What happened here?” she asked.
I sighed, not sure how much I should tell her. Despite the fact that she was one of the upper class Unduthians, there was something about her that was – different. She didn't seem like one of them – the ones who sought to keep their boots on the back of our necks. As far as attitudes went, she seemed to have more in common with the scraps than her own kind.
“The government sent troops in,” I finally said. “They rounded some of us up. Accused us of being part of some insurgency. They were going to execute us on the spot. But somebody set off a bomb that allowed us to escape. To retaliate – probably to draw us out – they took our families.”
Her eyes were wide and filled with sympathy for me. “Byr, I'm sorry.”
I fought back my tears. “My mom, little sister and little brother were rounded up,” I said. “Sent to one of those camps.”
She shook her head. “I'm sorry,” she said again.
I wiped at my eyes, refusing to let the tears fall. “I'm going to get them back. I'm not sure how yet, but I'm going to get them back. What about you? What are you going to do?”
“I have to get off-world,” she said. “My father will never stop hunting for me because I've shamed the family so badly. I need to get far away from here.”
“Got a ship?”
She shook her head. “No. But I met a man in the marketplace. He runs an Ozol stall. He said he knew a couple of pilots who might be able to help me.”
I laughed. This girl was going to get taken for a ride. I doubted she'd ever been outside of Kinray, doubted even more that she'd ever had to negotiate with scrap pilots. They would see her coming from ten miles off and would take her for everything she had. I felt bad for her.
“You're going to need some help,” I said, realizing I couldn't throw her out there on her own.
“Help?”
“Negotiating a price,” I replied. “They'll take everything you have if you're an outsider and they think they can take advantage of you.”
She looked at me with eyes that were wide, fearful – and beautiful. “Can you help me, Byr?”
I nodded. Of course, I can. I have a feeling I know these pilots.”
She reached out and took my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Thank you.”
I gave her a small smile as I stared at her hand on top of mine. “You're welcome.”
It was the least I could do. I felt powerless to do anything else at the moment, might as well do something good for somebody.
Chapter Twelve
Hatare
He was a handsome man. I took him to be around my age. He was tall and thick through the shoulders and chest. He had strong arms and a lean body. His skin was a blue that was a couple of shades darker than mine and he had long hair that was black as coal. He had white eye markings, and clear, smooth skin.
What surprised me the most about him though, was how well-spoken he was. How articulate. He sounded very well educated. And I'd always been given to understand that education wasn't a priority out on the fringes. I'd understood that education was virtually non-existent.
But as we walked out of his house, on our way to meet the pilots, I noticed something – books littered the floor. Lots and lots of books.
“You read a lot, it seems,” I commented.
He shrugged. “I refuse to be uneducated,” he said. “And I won't let my siblings be either. We all read. We all learn. It was something my father instilled in us.”
“Where is your father?”
He looked at me and I immediately regretted asking. I could see the pain and grief in his eyes.
“He's dead.”
“I – I'm sorry, Byr.”
“Me too.”
We scanned the marketplace carefully before we stepped inside. There didn't seem to be any sign of my father's guard. The place was still bustling, but it looked clear. We made our way back to the Ozol vendor's stall and he smiled when he saw me.
“Glad to see you made it out of here in time,” he said.
“Thank you,” I replied. “So am I.”
“Byr,” the man boomed. “Good to see you.”
“Thank you, Mok,” he said.
He looked from Byr to me and back again. “You're helping her?”
Byr nodded and grinned. “Yeah, we ran into each other when she was headed out of here the first time. Looked a little harried, so I thought it best to give her a hand.”
“Good man.”
I looked at Mok. “Were you able to locate your pilot friends?”
He nodded and opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by the voice of another. “That would be me.”
“Us,” came another voice.
I turned and found two men leaning against a table near Mok's booth. They were both arrogant looking men – and looked almost identical. Their skin was the same shade of pale green as Mok's, but they had vibrant purple hair and blue eye markings. The markings were the only thing about them that differed.
“My name is Wyk,” said the first man. “This is my brother Wyn.”
“N – Nice to meet you,” I said.
They gestured for us to come over to their table, so I turned and gave Mok a smile. He smiled back and gave me an encouraging nod.
“Good luck,” he said.
“Thank you for everything.”
I joined Byr at the table. He was busy chatting with the two men – he apparently did know them.
“So, Byr was telling us that you're looking for a pilot to get you off planet?” Wyk asked.
I nodded. “I am.”
“And where is it you want to go?” Wyn asked.
“Optorio,” I replied.
Wyk grinned. “And why would you want to go there?”
“That's my business.”
I wasn't used to being firm with people, but knew that I had to be in this case – both Mok and Byr had impressed that need upon me.
Wyk held up his hand
s and grinned. “Fair enough.”
“We need to discuss price then,” Wyn said.
“And what is your price?” I asked, trying to keep my voice firm.
“Five hundred,” Wyk said without hesitation.
Byr scoffed. “Come on, Wyk,” he said. “That's outrageous.”
He shrugged. “It's a risk right now,” he replied. “The government's shut down most of the airspace. No shuttles in or out.”
“Like you weren't planning making a run anyway,” Byr said.
“Maybe we weren't,” Wyn said.
“I know you were,” Byr replied. “See, I happen to know that you need to go collect a few items for somebody – and that you had to go to Optorio to do it. So, really, don't play that game.”
Wyk grinned and pointed at Byr. “He's good.”
I immediately felt better to have him negotiating on my behalf. Having the information he had made all the difference.
“Fine then,” Wyn said. “Four hundred.”
“Two hundred,” Byr offered.
It was Wyk's turn to scoff. “Three hundred.”
Byr cast a quick glance at me, as if gauging how much money I had. I could have probably afforded the three hundred easily, but if he could get them to go any lower, all the better.
“Two hundred,” Byr repeated.
The brothers exchanged looks and then sighed in unison. “Two fifty,” Wyk said. “And that is as low as we are willing to go.”
Byr looked at me and I nodded. “Deal.”
“Done,” Wyk said.
“Half now,” I said. “And half once we land.”
Wyn laughed. “She's an untrusting little thing, isn't she?”
“Not without good reason,” Byr said.
I looked at him and smiled. He didn't know me. Didn't know my story. And yet, he was fighting for me. It told me a lot about the heart of this man. A commotion at the far end of the marketplace drew our attention. When I saw the red and black armored guards heading straight for us, my blood ran cold and my heart started to trip all over itself.
But in addition to my father's guard, there were the black and white armored soldiers I'd seen around Kinray – government soldiers, I'd always assumed. The soldiers who'd destroyed Byr's village and now looked to be coming after him directly. His eyes were wide and he looked scared – like an animal trapped in a corner with no way out.
Fawks (Dragons of Kratak Book 4) Page 56
