by Hope Hart
I frown. This planet is scary. Not only are the Braxians at war with the Voildi, but they’re fighting each other as well. The sooner I can get back to Earth, the better.
Time passes. I alternate between imagining what could be happening to Ivy and Zoey and reassuring myself that they’re fine. While Zoey is injured, Ivy is a tough cookie. I know she’ll do everything she can to get them both away from the Voildi. Maybe they’ve already managed to escape and they’re somewhere safe and warm.
Or maybe the Voildi are watching them much more carefully now that I’ve managed to get away.
The thought depresses me, and I slump in the saddle as I yawn, still tired. We’ve probably been on this mishua for close to an hour, and its slow, steady pace is making me long for a nap. But Zarix seems just as fresh as the moment we left Sonis’s, his eyes alert as he continually scans our surroundings.
I’ve tried not to think about how long I’ve been gone from Earth and what would have happened to my life since I disappeared. I’m guessing I’ve been gone for around a week, although it feels like much longer. Are people looking for me? Do they know I’ve been taken? Or do they believe I couldn’t take the pressure and ran away?
“What are you thinking?” Zarix asks in a low voice, and I raise an eyebrow, having not expected him to be interested.
“I’m thinking about my life. About what might have happened while I’ve been gone. And I’m wondering if my future and all of my dreams will have gone up in flames by the time I get back.”
The thought makes me even more depressed, and I scowl. Why was I taken? Was it completely random? Or was it something that I did? How did I draw the attention of the Grivath? What could I have done to stay off their radar?
“What is your planet like?” Zarix asks, and I breathe through the homesickness that sinks into my chest, spreading through my body like a virus.
“Well,” I say, glancing up at the sky, “my planet is called Earth. And the sky is blue.”
Zarix is quiet for a long moment, and I turn my head, finding him frowning up at the green sky.
“I can’t imagine that,” he says, and I laugh.
“Yeah, it was a shock landing here.”
“Is it difficult to hunt for food on Earth?”
I frown and then surprisingly, my mouth curls up in a smile. “No. We don’t have to hunt. At least, not in most countries. In my country, we go to a supermarket. Imagine a huge building with every kind of food you can think of. We buy the food and take it home.”
“But who hunts for that food?”
“The meat is raised in cages for the most part. Some of the animals live outside, but they’re killed and butchered before they get to the supermarket.”
Zarix grunts, and I can tell he’s struggling with the idea. “You do not need to hunt, and you can eat as much food as you want. Yet you are thin, female. Very thin. Explain this to me.”
I tense, cursing as the movement jolts my leg. The pain adds to my anger, and my tone is harsh as I turn, staring him in the eye. “I’m a dancer,” I explain through my teeth. “I choose to make my body look this way so I can perform. But I’m fit and healthy.”
Zarix examines my face for a long moment, his expression disbelieving. Then the mishua suddenly stops, and I clutch onto the strong arm wrapped around my waist.
The mishua turns her huge head, and I get a glimpse of one red eye narrowing as she gazes behind us. Zarix jumps from her back and draws his sword.
“Show yourself,” he orders, and I hold my breath as a gray-blue bush shakes.
Then Zarix is cursing up a storm, only half the words being translated by the device in my ear as the spy steps forward.
Chapter Six
Zarix
Javir stands, his head bowed as I roar at him.
“What were you thinking?”
“I wanted to go with you.”
“And I told you no. Your mother will be terrified.”
“I left her a note.”
I grind my teeth. Javir is good at many things for his age, but his letters are not one of them. I will be surprised if Sonis can decipher whatever it is he has written.
But at least she will know that he has left of his own free will and wasn’t taken.
If we return to Sonis, we won’t make it to Nexia before dark. Another growl rips from my throat as I snarl down at the boy. He hunches his shoulders, and Beth clears her throat, raising one eyebrow at me.
“We will take him with us,” I tell her, and Javir raises his head, hope in his gaze. I narrow my eyes at him. “But the moment I find a hunting party from our tribe, they will take him back to his mother.”
He nods, staring back down at the ground, and I curse, turning away to pace. Not only do I have an injured female to protect, but now I have a child as well.
My fists clench at the reminder of the last time I was responsible for another person’s safety, and I barely resist the urge to turn back and leave both Beth and Javir back at Sonis’s.
I can’t afford to lose any more time. If the Voildi are able to form alliances with each other, they could attack before I find the information we need.
“Get on the mishua,” I grit out, and Javir turns away, unsuccessfully attempting to hide his relief.
He scrambles up behind Beth, and I mount the beast, who also seems displeased, tossing her head as she lets out a low growl.
“I feel the same,” I mutter to her, ignoring the way Beth’s mouth twitches. I move Javir behind me, instructing him to hold onto me. Then we’re moving again, and I meet Beth’s laughing gaze.
“I refuse to be responsible for him,” I say, and Javir’s hand tightens on my shirt.
“I can look after myself,” he mumbles. “I’m smart.”
“If you were smart, you would have stayed with your mother.”
“I’m not a baby.”
“The fact that you have to say that—”
Beth reaches back and squeezes my thigh, her hand warm. “He just wants to be like you,” she says softly. “Although I can’t possibly understand why.” Her voice is teasing, and I frown down at her.
“I want to kill the Voildi too,” Javir says. “I’m going to kill them dead with my knife.”
I growl, and Beth turns her head, a smile playing around her mouth. She is injured and exhausted and has been taken from her planet, yet she still has the ability to smile.
I encourage the mishua to speed up, and she picks up the pace. Javir falls against me, and I reach back, pulling the knife from his hand.
“Hey!” he shouts.
“You’ll get it back when you can be trusted.”
“But—”
“Silence.”
“That’s not fair!”
Beth turns, narrowing her eyes at both of us. “Don’t make me pull this car over,” she says, and I tilt my head.
Her face is losing color, and she’s tense in the saddle. I curse and slow down the mishua. The increased pace is hurting her.
“What are you doing?” she asks.
Rexi turns her head, narrowing her red eye at me as if she’s wondering the same thing.
“You are in pain,” I say.
“I’m fine. We need to get there as soon as possible.”
I reach into one of the saddlebags and pull out the pain tonic.
Her lower lip juts out, and I drop my eyes to her mouth. She blushes, and I scowl as I realize I’m staring.
“Take it,” I say, my voice harsh.
“It’ll make me sleepy.”
“You can sleep against me. If you take it, we can travel faster.”
The thought of getting to her friends more quickly obviously works because she takes a few sips with a grimace. Javir is quiet behind us, his head resting against my back, and I sigh, reaching behind me. I take a piece of rope from one of my bags and loop it into his belt before tying it to my wrist. Then I pull Beth closer and allow the mishua to increase her pace.
The sooner this mission is comple
te, the better.
Beth
Zarix became tenser and tenser the closer we got to Nexia. It’s clear that he’s unhappy at the fact that he not only has me with him but now has to keep Javir safe as well.
I slept on and off while we traveled, and now I’m groggy, my calf aching. But it feels good to stand, even if all my weight is on one leg, and I stretch my back, leaning on my walking stick as Zarix takes care of the mishua, Javir shadowing his every step.
For a guy as grouchy as Zarix, he’s surprisingly patient with Javir, who obviously worships him.
“What’s the plan now?” I ask. I’m still out of it from whatever is in that pain medication, and I’d kill for a cup of coffee.
“Nexia is relatively neutral ground. Most species rely on the market to trade goods, but it’s still dangerous here. There’s a tavern close by, but we will need to be careful.” Zarix looks at me and Javir, and I can practically hear him calling us liabilities in his head.
“I can help,” I say, and he gazes at me for a long moment before finally nodding.
“This will be covert work. We need to find out anything we can about the Voildi packs and their plans. I will be meeting an acquaintance, but you should also listen for any helpful information.”
I almost rub my hands together. Those Voildi bastards are going down.
Zarix reaches into his saddlebag and pulls out a long cloak before handing it to me. I pull it on, and he gestures for me to raise the hood.
“No one can know that you are a female,” he says. “If the Voildi discover that you are the one who escaped…” His mouth firms, and he tilts his head as if once again weighing up the risks.
“I understand,” I say quickly. “I’ll hobble in with my walking stick and stay covered. They’ll probably assume I’m an old man.”
Zarix nods and glances at Javir. “And what are you going to do?”
Javir shrugs. “Stay silent?”
“Good.”
Javir sends me a look, and I almost laugh. This kid is going to be trouble one day.
We leave the mishua tied to the tree. I almost ask Zarix if it’s a good idea, but one look at the beast who seems like she could breathe fire, and I shrug. Anyone who attempted to steal her would be taking their life in their hands.
According to Zarix, there are hundreds of prexas—long underground tunnels that allow people to travel wherever they need to go without the risk of being surrounded. Thankfully we’re already close to the market, which houses the large tavern where Zarix is meeting his contact.
The breeze rustles the leaves of the trees as we move out of the forest and walk down a wide dirt path. I tense as we pass a group of furred creatures, most of them around Javir’s size. One of them sneers at him, and he hisses, brandishing the knife he must have pickpocketed from Zarix.
Zarix gives him a look and then heaves a long-suffering sigh but doesn’t take the knife away.
“Behave,” he orders as we walk. “Remember, don’t draw attention to yourselves.”
We both nod, and Javir sheepishly puts the knife away, his cheeks turning a darker shade of blue.
This part of Nexia is run down and old, the buildings leaning against each other, little more than shacks. And yet the sight of an honest-to-God town makes me breathe a sigh of relief. For some reason, it pleases me to know that this planet is more than just forests and caves, with the odd hut here and there.
I’ll be a city girl until the day I die.
I pull the cloak closer, trying not to hiss at the tiny amount of weight I put on my leg as I hobble along with my makeshift walking stick. Somehow I know without a doubt that if Zarix knew how much pain I was in, he’d insist I wait back with the mishua.
But I need to play a part in making the Voildi pay.
What would it have been like if Zarix and his tribe had found us on that ship instead of the Voildi? I have no doubt that they would have given us medical treatment and food. I blush as I remember the look on Zarix’s face when I said he could have left me in the trap.
I’d insulted the huge warrior’s honor.
It was men like him that attacked the Voildi in the clearing. So hopefully the other women are doing just fine right now and we’ll all meet up as soon as I find Zoey and Ivy, and we can find a way to get back to Earth.
And I can try to rebuild whatever is left of my career.
We follow Zarix to the end of a long row of shacks, and he gestures at one that’s much larger than the rest. Creatures of all shapes and sizes are coming and going from the building, a few of them stumbling as they leave. Some give Zarix filthy looks, others nod at him, but all of them give him a wide berth while completely ignoring Javir and me.
Excellent.
The tavern is dimly lit, and it takes my eyes a moment to adjust as we enter. I feel my nose wrinkle, and I duck my head, checking once again that my hood covers most of my face. There are a few wooden stools here and there, but most people sit on overturned crates.
Everyone ignores us when we walk in, and even though Zarix’s face is blank, I can sense some of the tension leaving his body. Obviously kids aren’t an issue in bars here because Javir struts into the tavern as if he owns it.
Zarix gestures to a couple of crates in the corner, and Javir and I sit down, watching as Zarix moves to the long table that passes for a bar.
If a mishua could walk and talk, it would probably look similar to the scaled green man who takes his money.
I let my gaze travel over the crowd and tense as I spot a large group of Voildi on the opposite side of the room.
“There they are,” Javir says. “Don’t you wish we could just kill them?”
The words are hard and sound wrong coming from such a small kid. Javir smiles at my silence and sits up higher on the crate.
“They killed my father,” he says.
I nod. “I know. Your mom told me. I’m sorry.”
I almost tell him to stop staring at the Voildi because he’s sure to draw attention to us, but he flicks his glance away, his face scrunched up with pain.
“They don’t need to eat creatures that can walk and talk,” he says. “There are plenty of beasts on this planet if you know how to hunt like Zarix and the other Braxians.”
“So why do they do it?”
Javir shrugs, and we watch as Zarix moves back toward us.
“Maybe we taste better.”
I grimace at the thought, and Zarix sits down, his crate creaking ominously under his weight.
The cup in his hand is short and squat and has been made from some kind of wood. I stare at it, fascinated. Is this what early cups looked like on Earth?
“What are you drinking?” I ask.
“Noptri,” Zarix says. Then he tilts his head. “Would you like to taste it?”
I’m a dirty, dirty girl for the way my thighs clench at the way his low voice asks that question.
“Sure.” I reach for the cup, and my fingers brush his hand. It’s like a shock of electricity, and I almost gasp. He jerks his gaze to mine, tilting his head, and then pulls his hand away, turning back to the room.
I take a sip, and my eyes instantly water as I cough. It’s like fire, burning down my throat.
Zarix turns back as I choke, taking the cup from my hand.
Granted, I’m not a big drinker at home. Dancers socialize with other dancers for the most part, our schedules too packed for many events. Most of us are much too disciplined to spend our few hours of free time drinking.
And I never wanted to risk the calories.
My cousin Rebecca is a social butterfly who can drink many of her guy friends under the table. But even she would struggle to drink this noptri stuff.
I hand back the cup. “When will your contact be here?”
Zarix shifts, carefully avoiding looking at the Voildi in the corner. They’re deep in conversation, and I eye Javir, who has turned his back on them, probably in an effort to ignore them.
The tavern is getting louder, a
group of males raising their voices a few feet away, and Zarix leans closer to me.
“Someone will have told him I am here. It won’t be long now.”
I watch the Voildi while we wait, hiding under the hood of my cloak. One of them is dressed the same way as the Voildi who took us from the clearing, with most of his body covered in a thin cloth that could be mistaken for oversize pajamas. The others are dressed like the ones who discovered us on the ship and are wearing nothing more than loincloths.
Pajamas is talking while the others nod their heads. One of them reaches for his drink and glances toward us, his body going still as he stares at Zarix.
Zarix doesn’t react, continuing to murmur to Javir, but I can tell from the muscle ticking in his cheek that the effort costs him.
The Voildi turns away and says something to the others, who glance over and sneer. I’m not a violent person, but the urge to stalk over and punch them in the face is almost overwhelming.
“I should get closer,” I mutter. “Maybe I can learn something.”
Zarix looks at me for a long moment and then finally nods. “Be careful. Here,” he says, handing me a small metal coin. “Buy a drink.”
I won’t be drinking it, but he’s right, I definitely need to blend in.
I’m not at all surprised when Javir gets up to follow me. Zarix reaches out a hand to pull him back, but the kid is too quick, and Zarix is obviously unwilling to make a scene.
“He’s going to make you pay for that,” I tell Javir, who shrugs.
We approach the bartender, who doesn’t look up from the drink he’s pouring.
“What do you want?”
“Noptri,” I say, attempting to keep my voice low.
“One credit.”
I hand over my coin and take my drink, turning to go. Javir stomps on my foot.
“Don’t forget your change, uncle.”
I nod and take the coins, and we move to a couple of crates closer to the Voildi. They don’t look up, and I blow out a breath as we sit down. Okay, my leg is officially killing me.
