Weiss’ face twisted, her lips parting to reveal clenched teeth, her eyes narrowing. She threw even more strength into her work as she continued to flagellate his back. Swipe after swipe after swipe until his skin was a mass of intersecting, red lines. There was now a wet, smacking sound that accompanied each lash, the sound of the whip striking the drawn blood.
The whip relented, but then her booted foot struck the wounds and that made Zarim grunt, his body swinging forward on the chain. Weiss grabbed him and held him steady by his throat. She stared into his eyes, ones that matched hers and she had the strangest feeling that she had seen this man before their meeting in Delfor.
“Do I know you?”
Zarim responded by spitting in her face and he smiled. “That the best you got?”
Weiss wiped her face with a brisk motion and backed away from him. She raised her arm and released the gathered whip, allowing it to unfurl. Swinging it lightly, scraping it against the ground, she pointed at him. “You want to play games? Let’s see how this works from the front. Maybe I’ll flay that grin off your face...or maybe something located a bit lower on your body will suffer...”
The heavy door opened, releasing light from the corridor into the darkened room. Weiss turned, prepared to chew out whomever would dare interrupt her. Before she could release the first word from her mouth, she snapped to attention and dropped the whip, the hand which held it going to her forehead in a salute.
“Commander Weiss.”
Zarim’s eyes widened at the sound of the voice. He’d heard it only once before, in the cathedral in Serenity. And he had a feeling that whatever torture Weiss had in mind, it would pale in comparison to what Lord Vortai was capable of.
His vestments were much less ornate than what the elderly priest had worn in the cathedral—a black robe with some gold trim and a hood to match, with the gold, four-pointed star hanging from a chain around his neck. Vortai’s hands were linked together and rested at his waist, the Dreadnought guard standing behind him.
“My apologies, Lord Vortai,” said Weiss. “Had I known you were coming, I would have greeted you upon your arrival.”
“Quite alright, my dear.” He didn’t even look at her as he stepped closer, his eyes examining Zarim carefully. “It seems you were...pre-occupied. He has said nothing.”
It was a statement and not a question. But Weiss answered nonetheless. “No, nothing.”
“Leave us.”
Weiss was stunned. “But my Lord—”
“Commander, it appears your methods have not managed to elicit much response. Perhaps it is time to try a...gentler approach.”
“With all due respect—”
“The Emperor is awaiting a proper resolution of these matters. It would be terrible if he found your performance to be somewhat lacking, would it not?”
The message was clear. Weiss was nothing more than a weapon to be employed when Vortai needed. At the moment, she was a sword that needed to be sheathed and her only option was to follow orders. She offered another salute before leaving. “Understood.”
The heavy door closed behind them and Vortai smiled from ear to ear as he gazed upon Zarim. “Now, my boy, what shall we do about you?”
“How about you loosen these shackles?” asked Zarim. “They’re starting to chafe.”
“I do not think we will be doing that. But perhaps you can tell me the location of my property.”
“Those stones aren’t your property.”
Vortai held his hand out, fingers slowly waving as if they were caught in a breeze. His eyes luminous as he peered into the soul of this young man. “There truly is something about you, is there not? A force I recognize from long ago...yes, of course. No other reason for a pirate to find himself on this quest. You are the avatar Quand sent out after the Soulstones.” Again, it was not a question, but a statement. Vortai continued, “Of course you are. I can sense his influence in you. And now, you will tell me where those stones are.”
Zarim chuckled. “Thought you could just control people’s actions?. So why don’t you make me tell you?”
Vortai had attempted to do just that, but there was something blocking him. Zarim’s will was quite strong, and he had evidently been well-trained by Quand. “It’s of no small matter. Quand cannot purge the Soulstones until he has acquired all five.”
“We’ve got four, you’ve got none. All we have to do is locate the last stone.”
Vortai grinned. “Oh, the fifth stone has been revealed. Although it is not in a place you or your friends can reach. Fortunately, I already have my agents searching for it on the other side.”
“Other side...?”
“You need not concern yourself. I will see to it that you never find a path to the fifth stone. And without you, your allies will fly blind. The final stone will be mine, and once I’ve appropriated its power for my own, the stones your friends hold will reveal themselves to me.” Vortai turned, grasping his hands behind his back. “Enjoy what remains of your life, Zarim.”
CHAPTER 24
A coastal town known for its fishing industry, Barrows also had the distinction of being close to a Dreadnought base. That meant a frequent task of many soldiers stationed there was guard duty at the unacknowledged prison known as Erlik. Every eight hours, a convoy traveled from the secretive prison to the base to facilitate the shift changes. This particular convoy contained ten Dreadnoughts, but only six were actually who they claimed to be. The other four had managed to get this far thanks to Tanus’ contacts within the military.
The convoy pulled to a stop outside the gates of Erlik. After opening, the convoy entered the courtyard and the Dreadnoughts exited the confinement of their transport. Tanus took notice of a small transport ship taking off. That meant their escape could be easier, provided they could make it to the hangar without any trouble.
Inside the prison, the quartet broke off. Ekala and Reyche preceded to the lower levels, relying on Reyche’s vampiric senses to try and locate their missing friend. Before embarking on this mission, Tanus had taught them how to behave like a Dreadnought to avoid suspicion. The armor weighed down Ekala, not to mention being extremely hot. She hated being in this suit. Reyche seemed far less bothered by the armor, her body temperature wasn’t really affected by the heat and her enhanced strength made the weight a non-issue.
“Pickin’ up anything?” asked Ekala.
Beneath the helmet, Reyche wrinkled her nose. The air was thick with the stench of death. Even worse, she could smell blood almost everywhere. And what she didn’t want to tell Ekala was that she could feel the hunger growing within her. Before they embarked on this mission, she killed and drank a few rabbits, though it wasn’t the same as when she drained Ono. She had managed to cope with the cravings up until now, but it was quickly becoming almost too difficult for her to bear.
“I can’t...”
“Can’t what?” asked Ekala.
Reyche wouldn’t let her teammate see her weakness. She composed herself and replied, “I can’t smell him, I’m sorry.”
“Uh-huh...” Ekala continued walking down the corridor. “Just keep your nose on high alert, okay? Sooner we find Zee, sooner we can get the hell outta here.”
Reyche shared that sentiment, for her own personal reasons as well. The longer she remained in this place, the longer she could hear the screams of torture, smell the blood being spilled, the more her hunger consumed her. She found herself thinking of Ekala’s sweet, pink flesh beneath that armor...the savory fluid flowing in her veins...how good it must taste...
“Nnnn...” Reyche held herself back, and it was painful. She leaned against the wall, her hand moving to her head. Ekala heard the sound of the armor and quickly moved to steady the young vampire.
“What’s with you?” she asked. “This isn’t the time to get flustered, church girl.”
“I-I’m sorry...I don’t know what’s...”
“Hey!”
“Shit...” Ekala’s voice was low enough not t
o be heard by the approaching Dreadnought. He looked over the two of them.
“What’s going on here?”
Ekala deepened her voice as much as possible. The Dreadnoughts they were posing as were all male. “He had a little too much to drink last night in town, still fightin’ a hangover.”
“Take him to the infirmary and give him a tonic or something, then get back to work,” said the Dreadnought. “Between Commander Weiss and Lord Vortai, this place is under a lot more scrutiny than usual, and last thing we need is some dumb shit who can’t hold his booze making the rest of us look bad.”
“Yessir!” Ekala snapped off a salute and stayed in that position until the Dreadnought walked out of sight. After he was gone, she breathed. “That was close. Now c’mon, pull it together.”
“I-I’m trying, I think it’s just this place,” said Reyche, lying. “I’m not sure if I can concentrate enough to find Zarim.”
“Gonna have to try harder, then,” said Ekala. “You hear what he said? Weiss and Vortai are here. Gotta be because of Zee. The stakes just got a whole hell of a lot higher.”
Tanus and Liran explored the upper levels of the prison. For Tanus, he felt strangely comfortable being back in the Dreadnought armor, and that frightened him slightly. Liran, however, felt the constant need to crouch down or hunch over. She was not used to walking upright like this, especially not while on a hunt. Every instinct in her body told her to cast off the armor so she could restore her freedom of movement.
“Many odors. It reeks of death. She is having trouble isolating his scent.”
“He’s on the top level,” said Tanus.
“Hmm? How would he know that?”
“Because I was stationed here for a time,” said Tanus. “The most valuable prisoners are kept on the upper levels.”
“Then why did he split them up? Why not all four go together? Strength in numbers,” said Liran.
“Because I have an idea what they’re doing to Zarim,” he said. “And I’ve gotten to know Ekala well enough to know that once she sees him like that, she’s liable to do something stupid that could risk this entire mission.”
“After, she will kill him.”
“You mean Ekala will kill me?” asked Tanus. Liran nodded. “Yeah, you’re probably right. But I’ll cross that bridge when the time comes.”
Tanus pushed open the door to a stairwell and ascended to the upper level. This was where he believed Zarim to be. When they stepped into the corridor of the top floor, he looked over to Liran. “Well?”
She sniffed the air and she could indeed sense him. “He is here. But she also smells blood. Much blood.”
“That’s what happens when you’re tortured,” said Tanus. “Lead the way.”
Liran moved ahead, allowing her nose to point her in the right direction. She stopped, holding her arm out to keep Tanus at bay, too. Tanus noticed that just ahead, a woman in uniform stepped away from a door. Before they could move, she caught sight of them and pointed. Judging by the markings on her uniform, Tanus knew this must be the Commander Weiss Kef had told them of.
“You two! What’s your route?”
“Upper levels, third rotation,” said Tanus.
Weiss stepped closer, her hand resting on her sidearm. “Third rotation?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Weiss stepped back and drew her weapon. “Why don’t we try that again, except this time you tell me who you really are?”
Tanus sighed. “Third rotation for the upper level has been suspended, hasn’t it?”
“Look at that, you’re not completely stupid after all,” said Weiss. “Now take off those helmets and let’s have a nice, little chat.”
“You heard her, Liran.” Tanus slowly raised his hands to his helm and Liran followed his lead. Once he removed his helmet, Weiss wasn’t surprised by what she saw, just a simple man. But when Liran raised hers, and followed it with a growl, Weiss couldn’t stop herself from gasping.
The Felidae pounced, knocking the Dreadnought over and charged towards the cell Weiss had exited. Before Weiss could recover, Tanus back-handed the Dreadnought to keep her down and followed his teammate. Liran struggled to get the locked door of the cell open, and Tanus removed one of his gauntlets, his artificial hand converting to a gun.
“Stand back.” Tanus pointed the barrel at the lock and fired, blowing it free. He kicked the door in and saw Zarim hanging, shirtless and bloodied, from the ceiling. Tanus entered the cell and wrapped his arm around Zarim’s waist. “Keep your head down, buddy. And go limp.”
Zarim was weak, but conscious enough to follow those instructions. Tanus fired a blast at the chain that held him to the ceiling and Zarim collapsed on Tanus’ shoulder. Tanus carefully brought Zarim out of the cell and found Liran stripping out of her armor.
“Time is precious.”
“Tell me about it,” said Tanus. His gun-arm returned to its normal state as an artificial hand and he took out the radio hidden inside the armor. “Tanus to Excalibur, you know that distraction we needed? Now would be a good time.”
“S-stop,” said Zarim. “Vortai...he said...”
“We’ll worry about it once we’re back in the sky,” said Tanus.
“No, you don’t understand...fifth stone...it’s...”
“HALT!”
Weiss had recovered from Tanus’ strike and she was back, holding the gun aimed at them. “I see the slightest movement, your captain takes a round in the chest. That would make your rescue mission pretty futile, wouldn’t it?”
“So would getting caught,” said Tanus.
Liran hunched over, claws bared and her lips curled as she hissed at the Dreadnought. Weiss didn’t seem the least bit intimidated. “Keep that pet of yours on a leash, too.”
“Don’t worry about it, Tanus.” Zarim slid from Tanus’ shoulder and stood on his feet. He limped slightly as he moved towards Weiss.
“Not another step!”
“Zarim, what are you doing?” asked Tanus.
Zarim glanced over his shoulder and winked at his friend. Then he faced Weiss. “So tell me, Commander. They never did find your brother’s body, did they?”
“Stay back...”
“Zarim!”
“I’ll tell you why,” said Zarim, ignoring Tanus. “It’s because there was no body left to find. And do you know why that is?”
“I SAID STAY WHERE YOU ARE!”
“I eradicated any trace of him off this planet,” said Zarim. “He may as well have never even existed once I’d gotten through—”
BLAM!
BLAM!
BLAM!
BLAM!
Four rounds tore through Zarim’s flesh one after another, the force of the bullets slamming into him throwing him back. He remained standing for a few moments, then fell to his knees. As he did, Liran was already in motion. She slapped the gun from Weiss’ hands and raked her claws across the commander’s face. Liran threw her up against the wall, her hands grasping at Weiss’ throat, then pulling away, a shower of crimson spewing forth.
Tanus dropped to Zarim’s side, shedding the upper portion of his armor and tearing fabric from his shirt to wrap Zarim’s wounds. “Stay with me, you’re not making this mission a waste of my time!”
“I-it’s not gonna be...” muttered Zarim. “Tanus...listen...this needs to-to happen...”
“Shut up, you need to conserve your strength, and you’re talking nonsense, anyway.”
“V-Vortai...fifth stone is on the...on the other side...” Zarim’s voice had grown fainter. And it went fainter still the more he tried to talk, but he knew he needed to pass on this information to Tanus.
“Dammit, if you don’t shut up, I’m gonna gag you myself!”
“Other side...he has someone there...I need to go and...and stop them...”
Tanus picked Zarim up. “You’re not dying on my watch, kid! Liran!”
The Felidae warrior discarded the remains of Weiss’ body. Her hands and mouth were covered
in blood and gore. Tanus flinched when he first saw her white fur stained red, but reminded himself that Weiss had definitely earned it. Besides, there would be time to debate whether her actions were right or wrong later.
“We have to get him back to the ship, now!”
Shortly after receiving the transmission, the Excalibur came within range of Erlik and its cannons opened fire on the prison. Alarms sounded within the complex and Dreadnoughts rushed to either respond or evacuate, as well as to ensure the prisoners were still secured. The chaos provided Ekala and Reyche with the perfect cover to get through without arousing suspicion. It came as no surprise, then, that Ekala’s radio started to buzz with an incoming signal. She activated it.
“You found him?”
“Do you know where the hangar is?” was Tanus’ response.
“Should be able to find it,” she said. “You found Zee, right?”
There was a hesitation from Tanus that caused Ekala’s blood to freeze. “We found him.”
“We’re on our way.” Ekala tucked the radio away inside the armor. “Reyche, time for us to—”
Reyche had her arms pressed against the wall, her head hanging between them. She looked as if she was on the verge of vomiting inside her helmet. She shook her head as she struggled to gain control over her body, fighting the demon within her.
“It’s too much...I can’t...can’t fight it...”
Ekala spun Reyche around and slammed her back against the wall. “Pay attention, church girl! Something’s wrong with Zee and Tanus won’t tell me what it is! So you’re gonna pull yourself together and we’re gonna get outta here, you got me?”
SoulQuest Page 20
