“This is truly what you believe?” Liv asked Hans, unable to process the words.
“This is my vision, yes.”
“You do realize it’ll be a mass genocide of the human race?” Erik asked. “Eventually, you’ll end up like everyone else, as prey.”
“Not if a Krinar adopts me as charl.”
“That’s your way out?” Karl asked in disbelief. “To hide behind the skirts of a woman?”
“It won’t be hiding,” Hans said. “It’s called survival.”
Karl looked pointedly at Xita. “I assume you’ve already found your sponsor.”
“When did this happen?” Erik asked. “When did the two of you conspire?”
“Since the beginning,” Hans said. “Everything was going according to plan to take over Lenkarda and overthrow the Council, but then Liv came along and screwed it all up.”
“In the end she did us a favor,” Xita said. “This way will be quicker.”
“Zavir is a guardian,” Liv said. “He’s loyal to his people. He’ll never give in to your demands.”
“When Zavir learns we’re keeping you hostage, he’ll do anything to get you back, even put himself at risk. He’ll sacrifice himself if he believes it will save you.”
The blood left Liv’s head, making her feel dizzy. “How is killing him supposed to help you?”
“As part of the ransom, he’s going to provide us with the codes for bringing down Lenkarda’s protective shield. With Krina’s best guardian and Resistance hunter out of the way, we’ll take every Krinar, charl, and Council member in Lenkarda hostage and no one will go free until the Council agrees to our demands.”
“They’ll never.”
“They won’t have a choice. It’s either that or have every inhabitant of Lenkarda tortured to death.”
“They’ll come at you with everything they’ve got,” Erik said.
“It’ll be too late. We have the technology to set up borders around our territory that not even the Krinar can infiltrate, thanks to my brilliant research.”
“You mean you stole it from the memory banks of your scientists,” Liv said wryly.
“Korum not only developed the perfect weapon to destroy the shield, but also a new, stronger shield. He demonstrated it when he melted half of Saret’s lab. It wasn’t hard to steal the technology. All I had to do was plant a little bug under the skin of someone who works in the Rolert lab. We know how to create the new shield. What we don’t know is how to destroy the existing one. That information Korum keeps to himself. After Zavir gets the codes and we kill him, Lenkarda will not only be exposed, but also unprotected.”
“You’ll never get away with it.”
“Let me worry about that. First things first. I’m calling Zavir, telling him what we need in return for you–enough money to fund our new government and the codes to expose Lenkarda.”
“Is that where you come in?” Karl asked Hans, his face contorted with contempt. “You’re doing her dirty work?”
“Call it what you want,” Hans said, “but at least I’ll be breathing when you’re long dead.”
“Each man for himself,” Erik said. “Is that it?”
“That’s one way of looking at it.”
“What were we?” Karl asked. “Insurance in case you couldn’t get Liv? Or are you going to hand us over to our authorities for a handsome reward?”
“The reward is nowhere near what Zavir will bring us,” Hans replied. “You were just the bait to get Liv here.”
“You don’t care about the millions of people who’ll be killed?” Karl asked.
“I have news for you, Comrade Karl. The Krinar have no intention of letting us live. Why do you think they came here? Their planet is dying. This is where they’re going to settle, and we’re an inferior species. We’re in their way. This is the only way we can ensure at least some of mankind’s survival.”
“You don’t know that,” Liv cried. “They’re making progress with pollution, cleaning up our mess. They want to live in peace with us, just as most humans want to live in peace with them. They have more advanced medicine and resources. They can help us.”
“Such an idealist.” Xita called up a hologram from her wristwatch device. “Time to tell Zavir he’s been sent on a wild goose chase.” She chuckled. “I do love your silly Earthling expressions.” She turned to Hans. “Lock the door. We have work to do.”
“No!” Liv shook the bars. “Listen to me, please. I promise–”
The door shut with a bang in her face.
Chapter Twenty-One
The coordinates Xita had provided were wrong. Zavir slammed his hand on the control float of his pod. He was in the middle of a field of maize, surrounded by cows. Impatiently, he called up a hologram, but it was intercepted by an incoming image from Xita. Just the person he was looking for.
His words were measured. “What game are you playing?”
She smirked. “Are you enjoying the view?”
He leaned toward her image. “I won’t ask again.”
“You won’t have to. I have your pet and her brothers.”
“You what?”
“I want money and information in exchange for them.”
He clenched his fist so hard his knuckles made a cracking sound. “You’re going to die.”
“Save the threats, Zav. The clock is ticking. You have until sunset, Earth time. I sent you an encrypted message with my demands.”
The feed went dead.
His heart went colder than moonstone. His rage was the kind that frosted the blood in his veins, more dangerous than the kind that made it boil. More calculated. More deadly. Shutting down all emotions, he went into killing mode. Xita was going to pay. If there was a scratch on Liv’s body, Xita would die a slow and humiliating death in the arena. It looked like he’d just found their traitor. How could he not have seen it? How could he have been so blind? What was Xita’s plan with this? What could she want with money, a commodity the Krinar didn’t care for, and what kind of information?
He pulled up the message the traitor had sent. If he weren’t already frozen to his core, what he read would’ve chilled him. The amount of money she wanted was huge, but it was nothing compared to the information. The information would give her Lenkarda on a silver platter. She’d have power over everyone and everything in the Costa Rican Krinar Center. Korum, their most promising inventor and fast-rising Council member who many put their hope on for the future, was there right now, as was his charl, Mia.
Turning the pod around, he went back into the direction he came from. If he was to save Liv, he only had one choice.
Liv turned in a circle in the confines of their prison, her head tilted toward the ceiling. “There has to be a way out.” All she wanted was to be back with Zavir in his safe, comfortable dwelling. She’d give anything to feel his strong arms around her.
Karl shook his head where he sat on the floor, his knees pulled up and his back resting against the wall. “You’re wasting your time. You were right. We’re in one of the silos. The only way out is through the door.”
“Think,” she urged. “If you weren’t bound by the laws of physics, how would you get out?”
“Through the window,” Erik said. He sat against the opposite wall, his face grim. “We’d defy gravity and float right up.”
Karl’s expression was despondent. “Well, we can’t fly, and we’re not weightless.”
“We owe you an apology.” Erik lifted his gaze to hers. “Nothing I can say or do will ever take away what you went through, but I want you to know I’ll regret it for the rest of my life. Hans said he wouldn’t hurt you, and we were stupid enough to believe him. We trusted him. We fought not only for our freedom, but also to avenge Mom and Dad’s deaths. If we weren’t so blinded by our vengeance, maybe we would’ve seen the truth.”
She blew out a long breath. “You took a stance for your beliefs. You did what you believed was right.”
“We should’ve listened to you
.”
“He’s right,” Karl added. “We failed you. We failed in the promise we made to Mom and Dad.”
“Not yet,” she said. “It’s not too late until the end. We have to keep on fighting.”
“She’s right.” Karl pushed to his feet. “We can’t give up.”
She looked between her brothers. “If we can’t get out, we need a plan.”
“You’re both missing the most obvious way out of here,” Erik said quietly.
Karl gave him a skeptical look. “Which is?”
“Through the door.”
“It’s locked,” Karl pointed out.
“Until they unlock it.”
Karl frowned. “What’s your point?”
“At some stage,” Erik continued, “they have to open the door.”
“In case you haven’t noticed, there’s a security gate.”
“One of them has the key.”
Karl shrugged. “So? They’re still on the other side of the gate.”
“We have to make them come inside,” Liv said as she grasped Erik’s meaning.
“We have to get into a fight.” Erik nodded at Karl. “If it gets violent enough, someone has to come in and break it up.”
“You’re not hitting each other,” Liv said sternly.
“Do you have a better idea?” Karl asked.
“Let me think.”
“No time.” Erik took a wide stance. “You start, Karl. I’m ready.”
“This is madness,” Liv cried, but Karl’s fist was already swooshing through the air, hooking under Erik’s jaw.
The force of the blow made him stumble back. He’d scarcely regained his balance when he lowered his head and charged. His head connected with Karl’s stomach, knocking Karl to his knees.
“Stop!” Liv banged on the door. “You’re going to kill each other.”
A trickle of blood ran from Erik’s nose. Karl was doubled over. Erik was about to charge again when the bolt sounded on the outside of the door. It swung open, letting in a stream of daylight. Hans stood in front of the gate, a gun with a silencer screwed to the barrel in his hand.
He pointed it through the bars at Liv. “Cut it out or I shoot her in the leg.”
She sucked in a breath, but at least her brothers stilled.
Karl pointed at Erik. “He started it.”
Erik wiped the blood from his nose. “He asked for it.”
In a flash, Erik was behind her, one hand around her neck and the other bending her arm behind her back. He held her body like a shield in front of him. No matter how good a shooter Hans was, there was no way he could fire a shot without the risk of hitting her.
“It’s her you want,” Erik said. “We were just the bait to get her here.”
Karl moved behind Erik. “Let us go, or he breaks your trump card’s neck.”
Hans’ nostrils flared. He flicked off the safety clip.
“If she’s harmed,” Erik said, “Zavir won’t be giving you a damn thing, and you know it.”
“Let us go, and you can have her.”
Hans sneered. “No deal. You’re bluffing.”
“You think I won’t do it?” Erik laughed softly, applying pressure on her windpipe.
She gasped for air, clawing at his arm with her free hand, but Erik was much too strong for her to fight.
“Stop it,” Hans gritted out, panic showing in his eyes.
“Not until you let us out.”
She kicked, her vision already starting to go blurry.
“Last chance,” Erik said, his voice taunting.
Hans uttered a curse and glanced over his shoulder. “Xita!”
The second was all Karl needed. He charged. Before Hans could register what was happening, Karl planted his boot on the hand that aimed the gun through the bars. Caught between two bars, the force snapped Hans’ wrist with a sickening crack. The gun clattered on the ground. Hans uttered a scream, falling to his knees, cradling his arm.
At the same time Karl snatched up the gun, Erik let her go. She sucked in air, gasping like a drowning person. A shot went off, the sound muffled by the silencer. Everything was happening too fast. Karl grabbed Hans’ collar through the bars before his body could fall back.
“Help me,” he said over his shoulder to Erik.
Still catching her breath, she could only look on as Karl held Hans up while Erik went through his pockets.
“Hurry up,” Karl said, pointing the gun at the outside.
A jingling sounded, and then Erik produced a set of keys. “Got it.”
She closed her eyes, sinking to her heels. Her throat was on fire on the inside. She desperately needed a sip of water.
“Come.” Erik was back at her side, helping her up. “We’ve got to go.”
She forced her legs to obey while Erik unlocked the gate and Karl kept watch with the gun. When they climbed over Hans’ body, she couldn’t contain a shiver. His hand was twisted at a strange angle and bone stuck through the skin.
“Don’t look,” Erik said, pushing her forward. “Just move.”
Karl went out ahead, pointing the gun left and right as he scanned the floor. They were on another level. So far, there was no sight of Xita.
Just as Liv let out a tremulous breath, Xita’s voice sounded from the stairs. “What’s taking so long, Hans?”
The sound of her shoes echoed off the concrete as Erik dragged Liv behind a cluster of barrels and pushed her head down. From between a gap in the drums, Liv watched with a stammering heart as first Xita’s shoes and then her legs became visible. She walked onto the floor, her expression one of irritation. Her eyes narrowed when she spotted Hans’ body and the open door.
Liv closed her eyes and prayed. When she opened them again, Xita was turning in a slow circle, taking in the space.
“You can come out,” Xita said. “I’m not upset. In fact, you did me a favor. I was going to get rid of him anyway.”
“Don’t move,” Erik hissed softly in her ear.
Xita went to Hans’s body and kicked it over, obviously looking for the gun. She peered inside the room and flicked a finger over the keys still hanging in the slot.
“Here, kitty,” Xita called in a mocking tone. “Zavir won’t be happy if I don’t have his pet.”
At the sound of his name, Liv sucked in a breath, but Erik squeezed her arm in warning.
Xita started across the floor, making straight for the barrels. “You know I’m going to find you.”
One, two, three more steps, and Xita was almost on top of them. What was Karl waiting for? Why didn’t he shoot? Another step and Xita’s forehead appeared over the rim of the barrel. Oh, dear God. They weren’t a match for the Krinar woman. She’d rip their heads clean off without even breaking into a sweat. The moment Xita’s eyes became visible, Karl fired. From where he aimed, the bullet was supposed to hit her between the eyes, an instant death shot, but she ducked, faster than the bullet left the barrel. Instead of taking her out, it merely grazed her ear.
Karl fired, again and again, but the Krinar was too quick, dodging left and right. One bullet hit Xita in the arm, and another in the leg. The rest hit the drums she jumped behind for cover.
“Fuck,” Karl said.
The gun was empty. Liv didn’t have to look to know. She’d counted the shots. Xita rose to her feet, her face like thunder. The K’s body would heal, but at least the wounds would slow her down.
Erik yanked Liv to her feet. “Run!”
They turned for the broken wall, running with everything they had. From the edge, the ground was visible two stories below, covered with a heap of burlap bags.
“Jump!”
Karl was already projecting himself through the air, aiming for the bags. Erik followed suit. She paused at the edge. They couldn’t outrun a Krinar, not even a wounded one. They didn’t stand a chance.
“Jump!” Erik and Karl shouted in unison, waving for her to follow.
Taking a deep breath, she turned. Erik and Karl’s voic
es reached her from below.
“Fuck.”
“Liv.”
“Go,” she cried without looking back. “You stand a better chance without me.”
“Liv, no!”
“Go, Erik, damn you. Now.”
A predatory smile curved Xita’s lips. The bullet popped from the hole in her arm, hitting the concrete with a ping. The skin had already started to knit together. She advanced slowly.
Another curse sounded from below, and then footsteps hit the ground hard, moving in the direction of the fields.
“So sweet,” Xita said, “sacrificing your life for your brothers’.”
“It’s me you want.”
Xita laughed. “Stupid, stupid, girl.”
Liv measured the distance. It was still too far for Xita to jump. Karl and Erik should have a good head start by now. Flinging her body to the left, she ran for the stairs, pushing down drums to create obstacles as she went. She dared a glance as she sprinted up the steps. Xita was jumping the drums like hurdles, but her injured leg made her slower and less powerful, causing her to jump short, slip, and fall over one of the drums. On the next level, Liv ran for the far wall. She’d noticed a service chute from the floor below, a pipe that had to have been used for sending bags of flour down. She was halfway there when the floor exploded behind her, bricks and plaster flying everywhere. Xita jumped through the opening, landing on her feet. Shit. She’d broken a hole through the ceiling. Refusing to give in to her fear, Liv pushed herself harder, diving the last meter through the air. She went head first into the pipe. Her body shot down like an arrow with her arms trapped at her sides, taking down cobwebs as she went. Dust made her cough.
A furious cry tore through the air. The pipe started shaking. Xita! She was breaking the pipe from the wall. Liv’s body hit the small mountain of sacks just as the pipe snapped behind her. Buried from the impact, she crawled from the pile, rolling off the side to the ground. The earth shook somewhere farther. She didn’t need to look to know Xita had jumped. Propelling herself forward as fast as she could, she headed for the train tracks at the side of the site where rusted containers and old train freight cars were parked. If she could reach it, she could hide. If nothing else, it would win her some time, enough to catch her breath.
The Krinar's Informant: A Krinar World Novel Page 16
