Claimed: Unchartered Territory

by Nia K. Foxx

  “What’s going to happen next? Although I didn’t ask for it like Voren wanted I’ve still gotten medical attention and eaten his food.”

  “For now consider yourself pardoned. His attention is too focused on Remar and Keltar’s sectors.”

  Dallas stiffened, her appetite suddenly vanishing at the mention of the battle.

  How could she have let herself forget so easily?

  “And are you privy to the status of things?”

  “Voren believes me to be in the dark, but I am aware that his plans are not unfolding as suspected. According to one of his bond mates all is quiet in sectors two and three. Which can only mean that either you are not as important to Remar as we once believed or Keltar has somehow managed to convince Remar he had no involvement in your abduction.”

  “Or maybe both are gearing up for the battle you all were trying to coerce.” Dallas offered as an alternative. Truthfully she didn’t want to believe that was the case. She had a moment of introspection: with Voren’s plans foiled her already precarious situation was even more uncertain.

  “Chezarian males are not huge on posturing, especially not your bond mate. Keltar has always envied him, at least secretly, and this has led him to be Remar’s most vocal opponent in everything. The only thing keeping Keltar safe was the treaty, him abducting you would nullify it and give legitimacy to Remar’s declaration of war.”

  “Which is why he made the perfect fall guy in all this. I get that, but what I don’t get is your involvement. Do you hate me so much for being here because staying is beyond my control?”

  “And would you leave now, of your own accords if you had the chance?”

  “Of cou- that is…” Dallas stammered.

  Kala shot her a smug look. “Not certain, are you?”

  In all honesty she wasn’t. “What does it matter it’s not like it’s an option.”

  “Indeed. However, there may be a way for me to get you safely to Remar’s sector before Voren decides on other creative ways of disposal.”

  She didn’t like the idea of Voren attempting to get rid of her to hide his connection with her abduction, but alarm bells went off at Kala’s offer to help.

  “And why would you want to help me?”

  “Silly E’rther if Voren disappears you, he will have to do the same with me. I am the only connection between him and your abduction,” Kala’s declaration was said in all calmness but Dallas saw the fear not so easily masked in her eyes.

  Now it all made sense, the nano medic and the food.

  “Voren doesn’t know anything about you helping me, does he?”

  She didn’t answer, he silence was response enough.

  “And how do I know this isn’t some trick?” Dallas asked.

  “You do not, but what other options do you have, do either of us have?

  “And I assume you have some method to get us out of the sector?”

  She nodded. “It will not be pleasant for either of us.”

  “And once we’re out of here will I be returned to sector two?”

  “Not immediately, I will need my own assurances from Remar that no retaliation will be forthcoming, which is where you come in. Since your arrival Remar has acted in ways and permitted things that have never been considered. Some think you are a mystic woman.”

  “Obviously my powers are limited or I wouldn’t be here.”

  Kala looked in thoughtful contemplation for several seconds. “True, but it is known that he listens to you.”

  “On some things.”

  She looked relieved. “Good. I will need your assurance you can convince him to also offer me protection from Keltar or Voren.”

  “Let me get this straight, you want immunity and amnesty from two sector leaders.”

  The mask of superiority she normally wore was immediately back in place. “It is not too much to ask for saving the life of Remar’s bond mate.”

  Now was not the time to argue that her life wouldn’t be in jeopardy if not for Kala’s involvement. Whatever Voren’s current distraction he would need to deal with both women soon which meant they had no time to debate the why’s of their current predicament.

  “When do we leave?” Dallas asked.

  “I have your word?” Kala insisted.

  It was going to take some major convincing on her part but Dallas was hopeful she could get Remar to come around. “Yes. Now when do we go?”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Remar stared into the bloodied face of the guard who had staggered and fallen into a ball of grovelling flesh against one wall.

  The information Keltar had gathered led them to the second male, who was laying low in a roughened portion of Keltar’s section. The male tried his best to resist the effects of the Q’ema root. Ultimately, he’d failed. His initial denied involvement was a moot point when the holo recorder was discovered and proved that he was not only involved but had attacked Dal’las multiple times in an effort to take her. She’d fought with ingenuity and valor, making Remar admire his bond mate even more and proving to him that she had not orchestrated the abduction. His elation was short lived when he watched as the guard caught her unawares and dealt a blow which effectively rendered her unconscious. Her incapacitation didn’t seem enough for him and he quickly landed three more strikes to her face. Dal’las much smaller frame twitched with each contact but she remained blissfully unconscious. When another angry attack was attempted his partner stopped him and took over by hoisting her over his shoulder and into the transport.

  The proof of what he’d done sent Remar after the shattered guard once more.

  “Brother, if you kill him before we can extract any information it will only delay our recovery of the Leila,” Galdar said with a restraining hand.

  ***

  Dallas wasn’t sure how long she’d have to wait for Kala to come for her or if she’d actually come at all. The whole show in her room may have just been a way to get her to lower her guard, but to what end? Dallas reflected on their interaction and had to admit there seemed to be definite moments of genuine sincerity, she hadn’t imagined it at all.

  Maybe she were just being impatient, maybe only a little time had passed since the guards brought her back to her dark little hovel. Shoving off the uncomfortable bed she paced back and forth, if that’s what five steps in each direction could be considered. The food had given her energy and without the pain in her face she had the ability to focus more clearly.

  The door to her room folded in on itself unexpectedly.

  The outside light temporarily blinded her. She took a cautious step back as a figure stepped into the doorway. Her eye sight adjusted and it was almost a relief to see Kala alone.

  “Nice outfit,” Dallas said giving her leather like pants and vest a once over.

  “Glad you like it, I brought you one too. It might be a tad long but –“

  Dallas held up her hand to stop Kala. “I will make do, trust me I’m grateful.”

  She easily caught the pile of clothes tossed to her and jerked them on without hesitation. There was no time for modesty. She gave Kala a curious look at the extra piece of cloth. A hooded shirt.

  “I think it will bring less attention to your… abnormal features.”

  Dallas agreed and pulled it over her vest. It was loose and bulky, perfect for mobility and concealment.

  “We must go, he will not wait forever.”

  Dallas didn’t need a second invitation to follow suit nor did she question to whom Kala referred. So long as he got her as far away from Voren and in reasonable proximity to sector two he could be a shit herder for all she cared.

  “Stay close, and move fast the guards might be on their way here,” Kala whispered.

  “Guards? Why?”

  “Do you think Voren was going to disappear you before having a chance to sample what he went through so much trouble to acquire? Tonight was to be the night he got his prize and Voren is a much different lover than Remar,” Kala paused, her steps slow
ing. Dallas wondered if some distant memory weren’t responsible.

  “Hey, snap out of it. We have a rendezvous remember?” Dallas encouraged.

  Kala nodded picking up speed once again, instead of moving into the main halls they took another corridor of uneven walls, it was slightly darker down the passageway, the walls were slicker and the smell grew fouler. Thick.

  “Exactly where are we going?”

  “Are you certain you want to know?”

  “Yes.”

  “It is the refuse system. Trust me the smell is going to get worse.”

  “How do you even know about this area, I can’t exactly see you hanging around down here?”

  “I learned of it from Voren’s youngest bond mate. Her mother was a servant in this household. The room you were in belonged to them. She was left alone in her youth and knows of many passages throughout.”

  Dallas found it curious that Voren’s servants lived on his property. In Remar’s home only certain family members and a few essential warriors lived in the manor. But that was less interesting than the other revelation.

  “Voren married his servant’s daughter?”

  “She is considered a rare beauty. Not exactly an E’rther but she possesses enough unique qualities to catch Voren’s interest.

  Dallas remembered back to the dinner party. Voren’s wife resembled many of the women she’d seen, nothing in her recollection stood out other than the woman’s zombie like stare when she’d actually looked in Dallas’ direction.

  “When I saw her she seemed completely beholden to him why would she help us?”

  “That brainless female Voren brought with him is his first wife. There are two others. Lucky for us his youthling mate has not succumbed to the sad state the other two have, at least not yet,”

  Dallas found her own steps faltering.

  “Did you say youthling mate? Exactly how young?”

  “Below breeding age,” Kala mumbled. “But very intelligent.”

  “Am I to assume she’ll be waiting for us?”

  “No. Why should she?”

  “You are just planning to leave her here?”

  “We do not have time for a rescue mission. The girl is well taken care of, even Voren will not interfere with her before her breeding time.”

  “Really, and you’re so sure of that how? Because he’s inspired so much trust? What happens to her if he finds out we got our escape route from her?”

  Kala’s silence spoke volumes.

  “We can’t leave her.”

  “And what do you suggest?”

  “We go get her. You said she taught you about the passages are there any that can get us to her?”

  “You are assuming she will even be in her room.”

  “One thing that I’ve learned about this planet is Chezarian’s are sticklers for their routines. I bet you know something of hers.”

  “What you are suggesting will surely get us caught? Did you not hear me say Voren will be sending his guards for you? When they discover you absence Voren will seal his home and what hope will there be of you getting back to Remar?”

  “Then we need to move fast. Where is she?”

  “Her bedding preparations are nearing their completion, she will be alone in her rooms,” Kala conceded. “If you insist on getting the youthling then we must go now.”

  ***

  “I am tempted to drop him in the most isolated hot patch and let the orcs have him but I will not deny my bond mate her retribution,” Remar said as he cleansed the blood off Keltar’s guardsmen from his hands.

  The guard would wait, there was a larger culprit who still needed to be dealt with.

  Voren.

  The name blared inside his head. How had he not seen it before? It mattered little now. His only concern was getting Dallas back. He was so close.

  “Ready the transport and the warriors we go to Voren now.”

  ***

  “This is as far as you go. I cannot risk having you seen in the halls,” Kala whispered as they made their way to the end of another archaic passage this one bled into a main hall that was a replica of the more modern ones.

  “You’re doing the right thing,” Dallas encouraged when she saw the other woman hesitate.

  “Remind me of this when we are far, far away from Voren’s manor.”

  The corridor checked, Kala easily slipped into the empty hall. Evening was approaching and the orange glow of the setting sun’s filtered through windows in the hall. Luckily, the passageway she waited in was dark by comparison allowing concealment in the shadows. Dallas tracked the passing time by the dimming lights. Worried that Kala was discovered on her mission she was on the verge of slipping into the hall herself and searching out the girl but the quick sounds of footfalls rushing towards her stopped her in her tracks. It was easy to discern them as the lighter steps of women instead of the heavier stomping of warriors.

  “Alright, I have her, now let us leave this place.”

  Dallas barely had a chance to glimpse the girl, “Thank you,” she said in a whispered rush.

  “Follow me,” The girl’s young voice quaked with fear.

  Both women trailed behind the girl who, Dallas noted, was only slightly taller than herself. Being dressed in a more traditional Chezarian fashion didn’t seem to hinder the girl’s agility.

  After a series of turns and dodges, and by the smell of things, they finally reached the refuse area.

  “Through here,” the girl instructed.

  “Are you certain, I am sure you said it was further down?” Kala asked.

  “I did and had you gone there without me you would have ended up in the burning rooms.”

  Dallas held back a snicker. The child was smart enough to have a backup contingency and if Dallas hadn’t insisted on them going back for her they would not have made it out of Voren’s lair.

  “Why you little ketcer serpent,” Kala spat.

  “I have learned from the best,” the girl returned.

  The stench of spoiled food and, heaven knew what else, grew stronger. Dallas pulled the bottom of the hooded shirt up and over her nose. It didn’t help. Voices up ahead stopped the trio in their tracks. They waited until the chatter disappeared into the distance before emerging into a room where garbage was being sorted automatically by tentacles dropping from the ceiling in one section. Dallas stared wearily at the spindly appendages as they quickly sifted through and pulled out various assortments of things. They moved with drone like precision and she relaxed slightly knowing their interest did not extend to their little group. She looked around for the source of the earlier voices in case of a reappearance. There were four other visible passageways and no way of telling which the Chezarians had disappeared down. Three sharp bangs against a metal piping caught her immediate attention and she turned in time to see Kala tossing a stick on the littered ground. At her bemused look Kala held a silencing finger up to her lips. Several seconds later there was a responding four clangs against the piping.

  Kala went to stand in front of one of the large empty containers.

  “This appears to be our conveyance.”

  For the briefest moment they all came to stare down into a dirtied interior large enough to fit at least six women easily.

  “We’re wasting time,” Dallas said being the first to swing herself up and over with only one hand braced on the cold metal bin.

  “You do that so expertly,” the girl said in awe looking down into the container at Dallas.

  For the first time Dallas was able to get a good look at her. She really was a child bride of no more than twelve or thirteen years. Her hair was darker than the other Chezarians she’d seen. Dallas would definitely classify her dark, straight tresses, as brunette. That wasn’t the only thing that deviated from a more traditional look. The girl’s eyes were shiny, obsidian pools without the slightest hint of lavender. Dallas could understand why she would be considered a rare beauty.

  The girl tried to imitate Dallas�
�� one handed vault with far more clumsy results, but still impressive for a first timer. Kala bent down with her arms outstretched, looking between the two occupants inside.

  “Come and take my hands. I will not injure myself jumping in there like some child of the street.”

  Dallas shook her head as she and the girl came to Kala’s aid.

  “You realized we are in a trash container, not boarding a royal transport?” Dallas said.

  Kala made it down with a not so dainty thud. “It matters not, some of us still prefer to conduct ourselves as ladies.”

  Dallas retort stuck in her throat as the tentacles came to unload a pile of linens over their heads.

  The shock on Kala’s face was priceless.

  “It could be worse,” Dallas said cheerily.

  Two more loads and they were nearly covered in cloth.

  The container gave a jolting warning before being propelled forward. Luckily, the cloth provided cushion preventing them from being banged against the sides of the container.

  “We should probably hide, there will be people in the transport bay,” the young girl recommended.

  There was no argument as each woman buried themselves beneath the layers of cloth. The cloak of the material did little to obscure sound. The container rolled for several minutes before its next stop. Another mass of cloth was loaded on.

  A high pitched screech, like the sound a wounded hawk might make, pierced and took hold of the air. A chill went through Dallas at what the sound represented.

  An alarm.

  Outside a scurry of excitement could be heard.

  “Something is wrong, the manor is being sealed,” someone declared above their heads.

  “For what reason?” Another disembodied voice asked.

  The question went unanswered, but fear grabbed hold of Dallas’ heart.

  They were so close. Too close to freedom to have it yanked from them. The container jerked, then lurched forward again. Dallas half expected large, beefy hands to reach in and pluck them from their hiding place.

  “I have this one,” a male voice called out seconds before their container was lurched sideways.

  Through the pile of cloth Dallas felt frail fingers latch on to her arm. She placed a reassuring hand over the steely hold, hoping to project mental reassurance through her touch. There were more rushed footsteps and the sensation of being rolled on an incline for several moments. Finally, the container levelled off and the chaos of before faded away into the distance. Silence engulfed them allowing her mind to play through all kinds of possible scenarios. The rolling stopped and four discernible clinking sounds could be heard.