by R. R. Banks
Gyyx squeezed my hand. “After we eat she’s ready to talk about her captivity. No fucking questions before she eats a decent meal.”
Everyone nodded and the insistent chatter picked up again. Some of the Denynso didn’t even realize I had been in the Klimnu hands for 57 long and horrible days. Even though the room felt like a college campus full of people chatting about inconsequential things, I still felt eyes on me.
Everyone wanted to know what I had been through and what I learned. I nodded at a few of the warriors who smiled and tilted their head in a nod, and then I felt arms around me, pulling me away from Gyyx.
“Oh my gosh, I thought you’d never wake up!”
When I gasped her arms didn’t loosen and I felt wet tears on my shoulder. It was Eliana. Instead of freaking out about having a woman hugging the life out of me I hugged her back and whispered, “Thank you.”
I felt her nod and then she pulled back. “I wasn’t just going to leave you there. Not after I knew you weren’t some trick of the mind.”
I nodded knowing exactly what she was talking about. The Klimnu were freaking good. They could manipulate their shape. If they could get in their victims head and steal their memories they were as good as done. They used the memories as a way to break their prey down.
“I’m so grateful for you. I would have died had you not taken me out of there.”
Gyyx growled, and I patted his arm reassuringly. Eliana nodded in understanding. She didn’t deny it. She was the only person who knew what I had gone through even if they only had her for a short time.
She grabbed my hand and squeezed it. “We’ll talk more later, okay? You better eat before the fire in Gyyx’s eyes burns me.” She laughed but she glanced at my mate leery. He was glaring daggers at her as if her talking to me was an inconvenience.
“Stop,” I whispered.
“I’m starving woman, stop chitchatting.”
“Well then go eat you big baby.”
“Not without you.”
I rolled my eyes. “Fine, lead the way.”
He led us to a table where his brother and another woman sat. I assumed that was Eden. Gyyx told me she had been a victim of the Klimnu too. Only she died and Ciyrs brought her back to life. On Eden’s other side another male sat. He tipped his head and smiled at me. His eyes shined. There was something different about him. It was Ciyrs. I knew he tried so hard to help me wake up. It was strange. I actually knew these Denynso. They didn’t seem to realize that I was aware when I was out. I was pretty sure Ciyrs was beating himself up over not being able to make me wake up sooner. He was mated to Eliana and she seemed to have this mothering thing towards me.
He sat across from Pyra and I sat next to him and blushed when they stared at me.
“It’s good to see you awake.” Pyra was a simple man. He went back to stuffing his face, and these men could eat. Their plates were loaded and they devoured food.
“Thank you,” I said in a hushed whisper.
Eden smiled and nodded. She rubbed her belly and sighed. She was a lot different than I expected.
I ate in silence lost in my own thoughts. Gyyx left me alone as if he knew I needed this time to deal. I was about to relive the last two months. The whole thing was it was more mental than physical. The Klimnu got more power by getting inside of my head than physically touching me. Humiliation was another way to feed their lust for power. Something about fear and disgrace fed them. I wasn’t sure how it worked. I only knew that I dealt with the same two, the whole time. The one Eliana somehow snuffed out. I still had yet to learn exactly what she did, and then the other one. The one who liked me, the one who used illusion to shake me to the core. Otherwise the other Klimnu pretty much stayed away from me.
“They are all so anxious, and I really don’t know how much help I’m going to be,” I whispered, but of course they all had good hearing and Pyra frowned.
Before Gyyx could respond Pyra said, “Anything you can tell us will be helpful. We need to stop them from getting onto the land, and we only had a week with no attacks. I fucking hate those nasty pricks. I want to know how they manage to get here. What is it they want?”
“The King.” I did know that.
Both Gyyx and Pyra growled. “They won’t get him. We’d die first.”
My heart dropped even though I knew that would be the answer. Gyyx would sacrifice his life for his father.
Eden smiled at me as if she was used to this, and she probably was. “We will all give our lives for Criea.”
I nodded. There was such a strong loyalty for their leader.
Finishing my food I sat back and sighed. It was now or never. “So when am I going to lead story time today?” I felt the sarcasm drip and shook my head. “Sorry being sarcastic helps when I’m nervous.”
“You don’t even have to talk. See the thing is dad is one powerful male. He only has to touch you and your memories become his. It will be like he is living it, and he can send it to us. It’s hard to explain. He is telepathic to all of those who share his blood, and every warrior does. It’s part of the ritual. Therefore he has a link with all the males. Each one of us will have your story fed into our heads from you to him, then to us. That way we all see it. Live it and understand it.”
“Whoa, so Eden and Elaina won’t?”
“Oh we will because of our mates and our connection to each other. So yeah we will.”
“That is so weird.”
“Yep,” Eden said with a smile. “It’s a lot to get used to being around people who are so gifted. It’s intimidating.”
I shrugged. “I don’t really mind. I’m just an artist.” Then I took a deep breath. “Well let’s get this over with.”
Gyyx nodded and then suddenly the king sat next to me.
“Are you sure you want to open your mind to me. I need your guards down fully.”
I hesitated. “Guards down?”
“Yes, everyone has guards. Since you suffered yours will be thicker and harder to break through, it will be painful. That’s why I need you to put them down yourself because I don’t want that. If you’re willing to open up to me it will be easier and less—invasive.”
I nodded still feeling nervous. “Uh—okay so how do I put my guards down?”
The kings took my hand and shut his eyes. At first I didn’t feel anything and then wham it was like the Klimnu only it didn’t feel evil. It was a gentle caress. Without opening his eyes he said, “Okay Leia, I need to you relax and take a deep breath.”
I closed my eyes and listened. Doing my best I shut everything out around me and let the king invade my most intimate thoughts and all of my memories. A part of me worried what he would think after he knew what I was like before, and I wondered if everyone would see that part of my past or if he could block some things out. I certainly hoped so.
Chapter 3
I felt his mind traveling into mine. It was like tiny pricks of static. He sifted through my memories. It was strange having him in my head, and thankfully it wasn’t painful. I was beginning to understand he was a powerful creature. It made sense on why the Denynso wanted him so badly. He really was the key to getting back to their power.
As of now they were nasty creatures. They were grotesques and horrible vile things. I knew what they were in the past. What they were before the toxins. Apparently the king could cure them, but he refused. Said they changed because of their selfishness. It was their punishment for wanting too much and expecting it.
The Klimnu were chatty things. They loved talking about themselves and then showing me images of what they used to be. It was no surprise they were a little selfish. They were the ultimate beautiful creatures. And what was beauty was no longer theirs.
I took a deep breath getting out of my own thoughts when I felt a small pain.
I felt Gyyx’s hand on mine and I heard complete and utter silence, all except the sound of my heart beating rapidly in my chest.
* * * *
2 months earlier
“Anna, do you really think I should do it? I mean what if they all think I’m weird or something?”
“Oh honey they won’t. And you aren’t weird, you're a woman who is learning to be on her own. Getting away and gaining new life experiences is what it’s all about”
I shook my head. “I know that but it’s all still so fresh. I haven’t been this person for very long.”
She cupped my cheeks. “That is who you are Leia. Don’t let your past insecurities hold you back.”
I nodded. “Okay I’ll go. It might be good to get away from all the things from my past. I’m having cravings again.”
Her eyes widened. “Fight them sweet heart.”
My eyes filled with tears. “I’m trying.”
She nodded and led me back into the break room. I sat down and while my hands shook Anna handed me a glass of water. It wasn’t what I wanted—what I needed, but having her around to keep my on the right road was helping. If I was alone I would have already cracked.
I closed my eyes and let the coolness from the water ease the ache. I was in control. “Tomorrow I leave,” I whispered. Suddenly leaving to another planet seemed like the best idea I had ever had. I would get away and hopefully learn a lot of new things.
Later that night as I dragged myself up the creaky stairs to the shop I realized a few things. I was slowly overcoming my addiction. Every day was a challenge, but it was worth it in the end.
I stripped off my clothes and fell into bed. I didn’t even bother getting dressed. I was thoroughly exhausted.
* * *
The next morning I woke up feeling both terrified and excited. I was the first from school who signed up for the foreign exchange program. It was a once in a lifetime experience and couldn’t have come at a better time. I had been clean for 3 months. My counselor said I would be fighting for years to overcome this and even then it would always haunt me.
I rolled out of bed and went into my tiny hole in the wall bathroom. It had a shower, a toilet, and hot water. That’s all I needed. I turned on the water and the pipes groaned and creaked in protest. It was an old building. The water got luke warm at best, but I had worse so I couldn’t complain.
I scrubbed clean and stepped out into the cool air shivering. It would be nice to be somewhere different. I hoped somewhere warm. This weather was getting ridiculous. I took the folded piece of paper out of my pocket and unfolded it so I could check the directions to the meeting point one more time. I had never traveled by spaceship before and I was afraid that I would somehow take a wrong turn along the way, get lost, miss my trip to Uoria, and be stuck in the same life with dark memories that haunted me no matter how hard I tried to put them behind me.
The bright green piece of paper led me to one of the university's many outlying study buildings; this one so far at the other end of the campus that I was afraid my short legs weren't going to get me there in time. For a brief moment I entertained the idea of waving someone down and asking them for a ride, but just the thought made my stomach turn as I remembered how many times I had done something similar, and the consequences I had suffered because of it.
Forcing myself to think about something beyond those memories distracted me so much that I almost didn't realize I had gotten to the building. It loomed ahead of me in brilliant chrome and black detailing and for a moment I just stood back and admired it. It was extremely impressive for a building that existed purely for the purposes of housing ships and arranging travel for the students and researchers at the university. I stood on the sidewalk outside and looked at it. Somewhere inside there the crew was waiting for me, waiting to bring me aboard a ship that would take me on a journey far from Earth and far from everything I had ever known, and everything I had been trying to outrun.
I took a deep, steeling breath and strode into the building, exuding as much confidence as I could even though there were butterflies swarming in my stomach. No one I knew had ever traveled off of Earth so I had no one to give me advice on what the trip would be like or how I was going to handle it. This was truly an adventure into the unknown and I was nervous, but ready to embrace it. There was no way it could be worse than anything I had already endured.
The woman at a massive, gleaming front desk looked up at me and flashed a smile so big and bright it looked like she had been rehearsing it.
"Hi," I said cautiously, approaching the desk and holding up the green sheet of paper as if it was my pass to the building, "I'm Leia. I'm here for my trip to Uoria."
"The foreign exchange program!" the woman said with excitement, "They are just fueling up the ship and will be ready to go in a few minutes. Go through that door and go to the end of the hall. Type your name into the keypad beside the door and it will let you out into the loading area. Have a fantastic trip!"
"Thank you."
I followed the woman's point to a tall metal double door at the end of the room and it opened as I approached as if it could sense my presence. It led into a long, wide corridor lined with doors with nothing more than numbers to differentiate them. I followed the corridor to the end and found the keypad by the door. My fingers shook slightly as I typed my name into the keys, but I didn't know if they were shaking more from nervousness or excitement.
The door swung open as soon as I finished typing my name and I stepped out into a huge room that swarmed with people. I waited just inside the door until a woman in a short dress and pointed hat came up, took my elbow, and led me toward the ship in the middle of the room without saying anything to me.
A few moments later I was settling into a large plush seat that surrounded me like a pod, securing my seatbelt as tightly as I could, tucking my small bag in behind my feet. It didn't contain much, only the few articles of clothing I had that I felt comfortable wearing in a school setting and my meager art supplies. I closed my eyes and let out a long breath, knowing this moment was the last of life as I knew it and that soon I would be experiencing something incredible, something that would fuel me to another level of my art.
Chapter 4
The top of my pod was still open and a pleasant-looking man appeared above me.
"Hello, Leia. You are my only passenger today."
"Yes," I said, not really knowing what else to say when he paused.
"The flight from Earth to Uoria takes approximately five days when the conditions are good. If you prefer, I can put you to sleep so that you can pass the trip in your pod rather than experiencing all of it. Would you like me to do that for you?"
My mind immediately panicked at the thought of him doing anything that would put me into a state of not being able to control myself or make decisions. It was much too close to what the men had done to me, how they had controlled me for years using drugs and manipulation to keep me as their compliant servant. I shook my head adamantly.
"No. I'll stay awake."
The pilot got a strange look on his face, but nodded.
"That's fine. We have plenty of supplies to sustain you through the trip. If you change your mind, though, just let me know."
"I will. Thank you."
"I'm going to go ahead and close your pod up now. It will open when we get out of orbit and it is safe for you to move around the rest of the ship. Make sure your seatbelt is secure and just relax. The takeoff is the worst part."
He smiled, but I didn't find his words terribly reassuring, and when he closed the pod, the loud clicking sound of the lid clamping into place made my stomach flip. I rested my head back on the seat and gave my seatbelt another tug just to make sure that it was tight around me. A few moments later I felt the pod around me start to shake slightly as the pilot began the lift-off process. The shaking grew more intense and right as I felt like I couldn't take it anymore, the shaking eased and I felt a tremendous surge upwards.
What felt like hours later, there was a click and a hissing sound as the lid to my pod popped open and eased upward a few inches. I released my seatbelt and pushed the lid up the rest of the way so that
I could climb out. We were still days away from the planet where I planned to spend the next six months, but I already felt like Earth was a lifetime away. The sense of freedom and possibility surrounded me and for the first time in years I felt all of the tension, fear, and worry ease out of my shoulders. It would be less than 24 hours before it all returned and what was supposed to be my salvation became my hell.
I had just eaten a huge lunch and was settling into my pod for a nap on the second day of the journey when I felt the ship lurch and shudder. It settled only for a moment before shaking even more violently and tilting to the side so harshly I tumbled out of my pod and onto the floor. I heard a scream from the front of the ship where the flight attendant stayed for the majority of the time and then a series of pounding sounds that felt like they were shaking my bones.
The door between the chamber where my pod sat along with a table and cluster of chairs and the small room where the flight attendant stayed dented then split, and my breath caught in my throat as a loathsome-looking creature climbed through the break into my chamber. It looked like a slimy skeleton covered with ghastly white skin and oily strings of hair coming from its comparatively tiny head. Steeply pointed teeth jutted from its mouth and claws several inches long protruded from the ends of its thin fingers.
I scrambled backwards as four more of the creatures climbed into the room, the last one dragging the pilot along with him. They seemed to notice me suddenly, all of them turning their eyes to me at the same time and approaching with long strides that covered the floor space between us in seconds.
"What are you?" I screamed, flattening my back against the far wall of the chamber and starting to work my way around the room toward my pod.
