by Isabel Wroth
“A’tarey. Vale, go.” Kalix stopped her again when she would have followed.
~Kalix, what the hell—
~You have not yet trained alongside my warriors. You will wait with me until I deem it safe.
He spoke as a commander, not her mate. The difference in the hard control of his mental voice was marked and was shocking enough to have her tripping over any objections
~Do not draw your weapon unless your life is in danger. Do you understand?
~Yes.
~Good. Stay behind me on the right.
Alec thought she was prepared for what she might see inside the lab, but not ever having really been inside a facility like this, she was absolutely out of her depth.
There were cylindrical tubes filled with a glowing blue liquid, eight of them, arranged in a half circle on the far side of a crescent-shaped console.
A pair of medical tables with what she assumed was scanning equipment above them, and eight Sarazen sized cages on the far wall.
Two were occupied with a pair of pearl gray-skinned, horned alien males. The fire breathers? They looked no worse for wear at the moment, no tell-tale black lattice of infected veins.
~I read the reports on what we know thus far about the Original Council. Didn’t Ohlen find his mate in a facility similar to this when they took her?
~He did. The traitors are utilizing bunkers and underground facilities we thought lost or inaccessible with devices like the displacement field generators.
Commander Falken is coordinating with Asha T’mai to create a list of all unused or here-to-fore forgotten installations.
Alec turned in a slow circle, approaching the closest of the cylinders. Five of the eight were empty, but three held a single Scylla in various stages of growth.
From a fist-sized blob with four webbed appendages, to a fully grown creature complete with bony armor plates.
The water further distorted its features, making it seem even more fearsome than she remembered. She hadn’t ever been so close to one before.
Alec had run from these monsters her entire adult life, and here she was with one, face to face, separated by only a thin pane of glass.
“These specimens are in stasis and have no brain function,” Eurn informed her quickly, obviously interpreting her expression correctly.
Hatred seared her insides as she stared at the Scylla floating peacefully inside the tube, every instinct she had screaming at her to destroy the hideous thing.
It wasn’t until an armored body stepped between her and the tank that she realized Kalix had been trying to get her attention.
“I’m fine,” She blurted.
“I am glad to hear it. Reykar is not. If there is anything you wish to ask him, now is the time.” Kalix lifted his chin and she turned around to see four of their group carrying a stretcher from somewhere deeper in the lab.
She hadn’t consciously moved forward, but suddenly found herself standing over Reykar’s prone form, looking down at him through the protective shield of her helmet.
She remembered this perfectly, every person she had stood over and granted a swift death to spare them more pain.
It had been a struggle before, to find the will to slip a blade between the ribs in order to pierce the heart. If Kalix hadn’t taken her knife earlier, Alec would have had no problem delivering the killing blow. Slowly.
She moved almost without having to think, ignoring the hiss in her ear when she removed her helmet and knelt down next to the medic.
Reykar’s eyes widened upon seeing her face, the whites of his eyes streaked with black. He had no extra fluids to sweat but his skin was shiny from how tightly it was stretched over his bones.
His right arm was missing from the bicep down and for some reason his skin had not healed. It was burnt and blackened around the edges, seared like a piece of meat.
Perhaps Reykar had used a plasma pistol to try and cauterize the wound while preventing any further spread of infection.
“I saved you,” he slurred, smiling up at her almost... reverently. Like the sight of her face took the final weight off his chest and he could accept his death in peace.
Alec knew the chances of her words having any effect at this point, the larvae were making their way into his brain now, but she couldn’t stop herself from trying anyway.
“My sister’s body, where is it?”
He patted his chest with a shaking, withered hand and smiled, his lips peeling and cracking like torn paper. If he’d had any blood left it would have spilled like a river down his face.
“I saved you. Promised I would find... a...way. Saved you.”
Reykar’s face twisted with pain, a tormented groan wheezing from his chest as he managed to roll somewhat to his side before he vomited all over her armored boots.
She saw the warriors around her all take a step back, but in truth she had seen the gelatinous gray mess too many times to be squeamish now.
It’s what happened to your organs and guts when all the blood and fluid was sucked out. At least it would be simpler to wash the armor clean.
“What’s he talking about, Eurn?” Alec demanded without taking her eyes off Reykar. “You said you weren’t close to a cure.”
There was a short scuffle before the younger medic spoke up. “I don’t know. I swear.”
“My sister’s body?”
“I never saw a female, I swear. The only bodies here were ours and those of the subjects.”
“Do you know where Reykar got the Scylla from, Eurn?” Alec asked softly, willing him to tell her where Meg’s body was.
“N-no. He had them long before I joined his project.” It was unfortunate Eurn had decided to be so cooperative. Alec wanted to hurt someone, badly.
“His project,” she repeated, searching Reykar’s face.
In between his groans of pain, Reykar repeated over and over, “I saved you.”
His eyes no longer focused, staring sightlessly at something beyond Alec’s comprehension.
His pain satisfied her, maybe even pleased her, but as she crouched there and really looked at him... it wasn’t enough.
Reykar would only know a few days’ worth of fear and pain before the larvae coursing through his veins had made higher brain function impossible.
He wouldn’t know what his meddling had done or the danger the population of the planet now faced.
He couldn’t be held accountable or made to answer for having desecrated Meg’s body.
~It’s not enough, Kalix. He won’t suffer enough for what he’s done.
~No, my heart, he won’t. But his conspirators will. We will hunt them to the ends of the universe if necessary. Put your helmet back on.
It almost made her smile to hear his mental voice go from ringing with the conviction of a commander, to growling with the protectiveness of a mate.
Alec didn’t need help to stand up, but she held her hand out to Kalix anyway, swallowing thickly to feel him reach out to hold her with more than just his hand. She looked up into the silver face of his helmet, wanting to see his face.
“He won’t be able to tell us anything. The capillaries in his eyes are black, the infection is in his brain.”
“Ero,” Kalix said the warrior’s name and the next thing she heard was a loud snap, followed by Eurn’s shout of horrified surprise.
Alec looked back down to see a fist-sized hole in Reykar’s chest, a faint trail of steam wafting from the fabric of his once green tunic.
No blood oozed from the wound, red or black, and it was somewhat of a shock to not have been the one to have given that killing blow.
“Quoll, who do you need to tear apart Reykar’s files?”
Alec listened with half an ear, the light from the specimen tanks where the Scylla slept casting blue shadows on the ceiling.
She glanced at one of the horned males, wondering at the dissatisfaction in his yellowish green gaze. Did he too believe Reykar’s death had been unfairly quick?
She took
in the bars of his cage, his and his nearly identical companion’s, neither granted the common decency of clothing to cover their nudity.
They were both humanoid, two arms, two legs, unusually large cocks with no visible testicles that hung between their thighs.
Both crouched on their haunches, their feet weren’t feet as much as bird-like claws. Three-toed and covered in horizontal scales up to their knee joints, which were bent backwards like a reptile’s hind legs.
All four points of each of their horns were tipped in gold, with red stripes ringed just beneath. The red lines also circled their throats and biceps, giving them a rather tribal look.
Their lips were crimson too, as though they had painted themselves with the blood of their enemies to enhance their already predatory features.
They stood at her approach, taller than Kalix by a fair bit which must have put them close to or above eight feet tall.
They weren’t wearing prison collars, so how the hell had Reykar gotten them planet-side without anyone noticing? They weren’t exactly inconspicuous.
“I’m told one of you is responsible for eliminating one of those.” She hooked her thumb over her shoulder at the tank where the second adult Scylla floated.
The one on the right claimed the kill with a jerk of his chin. “It got too close.”
“If I let you out of there, will I regret it later?”
“That depends.”
“On?”
The male’s yellowish green gaze bored into her, but not in the way she would have expected. He seemed to be looking for something in her expression.
“What you intend to do with us.”
Alec looked from one to the other, noticing the minor differences in their appearance.
“As we have no idea what Reykar has been up to, I intend to have you scanned and cleared for any kind of contamination.
“Then I intend to find some kind of clothing to fit you both, and food to get you through the many questions I have. I give you my word no harm will come to you, so long as you yourselves do no harm.”
“Who are you to make us such promises?” the second male challenged, his eyes greener than his friend’s.
“I’m Alec. Second in command to the commander in charge of the planet.”
“Who is your commander?”
“Me.” Kalix growled, appearing beside her with a territorial snarl.
She peeked at him through her lashes, a bit surprised to see he had removed his helmet, not so surprised to see the feral scowl on his face as he glared at the caged males.
Alec wondered if he had picked up on her appreciation of the aliens.
*****
After having destroyed the three remaining Scylla, Kalix left half their warriors down in the hidden lab with orders to tear it apart for clues as to how many more prisoners were potentially infected.
Quoll was going through the mountain of data to discover just what Reykar had been up to, promising to find out what had been done with Meg’s body.
With nothing else to do but pace and get in their way, Kalix took her back to the fortress. The horned test subjects had been released and gave a solemn vow to do no harm unless harm was done to them first.
They were each riding behind Vale and T’chan, Eurn behind another warrior and looking uncertain about his future.
They had checked in with the progress of the medical teams, and so far a tenth of the population had been cleared and quarantined.
Because there were no secrets kept between mates, when Alec mounted the steps to the fortress, her people came down to meet her, their expressions confirming they knew what was happening.
Exhausted, she could barely stand to look at their faces and see the condemnation, the distrust, the anger they no doubt felt.
Her throat closed, unable to give them words of reassurance or explain what Reykar had done, unable to tell them their nightmare was not over.
She stood mute before all of them, her knees quaking with the enormity of her failure, while Kalix gave orders for Eurn to be placed under watchful guard, and the horned males to be escorted to guest quarters and fed.
It was Kalix who gave everyone an update, standing at her side, holding her hand tightly as he confirmed the Brivikan, Reykar, and the remaining specimens had all been destroyed.
“Everyone on this planet is in the process of being scanned for infection, so far there have been no other reported cases.
“Until all of our ground water is tested, the kitchens will be supplying everyone in the fortress with a daily rainwater ration.
“We are safe, but we must all do our part to remain vigilant. Tomorrow we will meet for the midday meal for further updates. It’s been a long day, let us all return to our quarters and get some rest.”
~I feel your fear, your weariness, my One, but our people have eyes only for you. They are concerned.
~They should be. They know what’s at stake if any other infected prisoners are out there roaming—
~Alec, look at them.
She didn’t want to, but there were too many eyes watching. Potentially enemy eyes. She could not be seen as weak or cowardly.
It took considerable effort to raise her head and meet the worried stares of the people who had chosen to follow her to S6, rather than stay in safety on S1.
She wondered how many of them were regretting their choice right now. It was by some miracle, not one face showed any hint of condemnation, and to her surprise she realized everyone was looking at her. To her.
~They are concerned for you, not an unknown number of infected prisoners we haven’t found yet.
Emotion threatened to choke the sense out of her, but her beast and her mate were both right there to fill her with their strength. She lifted her chin higher and did the only thing she could.
“If you haven’t already had your scan, do it now. The planet is on lockdown to ensure if there are more infected prisoners, they won’t escape orbit, but if you and your mates want to leave for safer—”
“Leave?” Liliya interrupted incredulously, coming forward in the crowd to meet her, steely determination shining having hardened her features.
“If there are more, if the water sources are contaminated, there is no safer place than here. No one knows the Scylla better than us, what do you need us to do?”
Alec clung to Kalix’s hand so tightly she wondered if she was hurting him. She looked around at all the familiar faces, really looked, and saw each of them stand taller when their gazes met.
She saw them wait for her to answer Liliya’s question, not a single one of them raising their voice to lay the blame of this at her feet. Alec floundered, not sure what to say.
“Be ready,” she announced, her voice far steadier than she would have guessed. “Right now, that’s all we can do. Are the children asleep?”
“Yes, but they know somethings going on. Do you want to wake them to let them in on what’s happening?”
Alec glanced sideways at Kalix, her stomach fluttering to see the strong, confident expression on his face.
He had a bruise on the hard edge of his jaw, one she just now noticed, and her thoughts wheeled back to this morning.
Her ferocious mate had faced down twenty-nine warriors eager to take him down, all at once, with only his fists. Had it only been a few hours ago?
The brutality with which he fought in an arena was like nothing she had ever seen, and if that’s the way he fought in a sandy arena? Alec felt sorry for their real enemies.
Kalix looked down to meet her gaze, and though it didn’t show outwardly, he flooded their bond with heat and love. There was no room left for fear. None at all.
“No. Let them sleep, tomorrow will come soon enough. No matter what happens, we’ll be fine. We are not alone this time.”
SEVENTEEN
It took four consecutive days for every living person on the planet to be scanned for infection.
No more black-veined prisoners were found in their sector, but in four o
f the six outposts, a prisoner was found in the final stages of infection.
Five bodies they knew about, and a high likelihood there were two bodies that had already succumbed to the parasitic larvae and gotten to water.
Tarek ordered them to keep Eurn alive until he was no longer useful to them, which encouraged the medic to be very helpful.
Eurn maintained he was innocent of having released infected prisoners, and Kalix hadn’t been gentle in questioning him.
Eurn claimed there were other warriors who had come, fully armored, their faces and scents hidden from him when they came to bring supplies.
Perhaps they were the ones who had taken a vial or two of the larvae samples and infected the prisoners, he said.
Eurn also said Reykar had gotten his test subjects from off world at some kind of slave market.
Zyre and Erufir, the two horned males, confirmed they had been captured and put up for auction as slaves, bought by what they claimed was a Sarazen male with yellow markings on his skull.
They described him in great detail, and though they didn’t know his name, Eurn confirmed N’Kara also had yellow markings.
They prepared as best they could, the prisoners were all secure, warriors were on alert, Quoll was still working on Reykar’s mountain of data, and there was nothing now to do but wait.
Kalix had gone out this morning to get updates in person, ordering her to remain behind as his second in command.
Alec wanted to roll her eyes, fully aware he was trying to keep her safe behind the walls of their oasis, shouldering what had been her burden with an eagerness that both endeared and frustrated her.
Frustrated her, until Kalix reminded her in the kind, gentle tones of a mate, that she was no longer in command.
“As your mate I am asking you to stay here. As commander and governor of this territory, I am telling you, my second, do hold the fortress until I return.
“I need you here, my One. Your people, the cubs, they need you here as well. I gave you my word this fight was no longer yours alone. I will not fail you.”
