by Cheree Alsop
“I’ll cut you down to size,” she growled.
She swung her massive club at my head. I ducked beneath the weapon and bowled into her straight at her knees. Experience had taught me that tall warriors often suffered from joint injuries. I hoped that knowledge would be my saving grace.
Her right knee snapped and she let out a shriek of pain as she fell to the ground. Her club flew from her hands and thudded to the floor a few feet away. I reached my feet first and dove for the club. When I stood, I swung it up to rest it on my shoulder; at least I tried to. The club didn’t move and instead I nearly dislocated my arm.
Cutie the Red gave a low, menacing laugh. “What’s wrong, little gladiator? Four hundred pounds a little much for a Smiren? Why don’t you use a skull beetle?”
I backed off a few steps as she lumbered to her feet. She limped toward the weapon I was powerless to lift without using the beetle. An awed and petrifying thought struck me. Had she allowed herself to be brought down so I would exhaust whatever skull beetle I had ingested? Was this her way of goading me into using up any stash I may have? Was she really that smart and willing to risk death to destroy my advantage?
If that was the case, I was in a great deal of trouble.
Chapter Eighteen
NOVA
“I found it!” Junquit exclaimed. “Come look!” Her voice immediately dropped and she said, “He doesn’t look good.”
“Put it on the overhead,” Nova commanded.
She didn’t know what she had expected, but the sight of Kovak bloody and limping across the poorly lit arena wasn’t it.
“At least he has a weapon,” Jashu Blu pointed out in a tight voice.
Nova nodded but couldn’t speak.
Dark patches of blood covered the arena floor. Two bodies lay near the shadows. One belonged to a huge red woman with a sword through her stomach, and the other was a man in gray who had a pair of knives protruding from his head. Neither of them moved.
Kovak held a knife in his left hand. His right was bleeding and looked as though it had been crushed by something. He clutched it to his chest where his torn and blood stained shirt did little to hide his tattoos.
“Does he have any of the beetle left do you think?” Kaj asked quietly.
Nova shook her head. There was no way to know. He had used it on the Trayshan to fight Kittridge, and she had no idea what had happened between then and when Kovak had returned bloody and with new marks for fallen souls.
Perhaps she had judged him too harshly. She hadn’t given him a chance to defend himself. She knew in part it was because thinking of him as a murderer made it easier to leave him on Akrul. If he truly killed for enjoyment, then he deserved to live out the rest of his days on the forbidden planet.
But staring at the images Junquit had hacked into made her heart wrench painfully in her chest. She didn’t believe he was guilty of murder. She had seen him kill people, yes, but every fight had been provoked. One did not mourn the souls of those slain in the way he did unless he truly regretted taking their lives.
Nova’s foot gave a small throb. She closed her eyes and thought of her father. He had worked so hard to teach her and McKy the value of honesty, of genuine compassion, and of life. She had dishonored his teachings when she told Junquit to take off from Akrul. She had felt it then and she felt it now as she watched the man she was falling in love with be filleted at the end of a sword.
She voiced her thoughts out loud. “I’m falling in love with him.” The realization struck hard and fast. The way her heart sped up at the thought of him was undeniable. He had kissed her before he fought Kittridge. He had battled the huge man in her honor. She didn’t know what the Lacertian had said, but the look on Kovak’s face had let her know it was personal. She couldn’t imagine anyone could shake the Smiren with mere words unless they were threats against someone he cared for.
That kiss hadn’t been a quick peck on the cheek. They hadn’t had much time to be sure, but she couldn’t deny the way her heart had raced and the way her body had surged toward him, longing to press against him and feel the heat of him. She had never experienced such a want in her entire life.
Now she was about to watch him be slain in the most unfair match she had ever seen.
“Did you just say you’re falling in love with him?”
Nova’s thoughts fled and her eyes focused to find herself the center of attention on the bridge.
Junquit’s expression was one of hope and glee. Jashu Blu couldn’t stop grinning, though he glanced at the screen above Junquit and sneezed. Kaj’s gaze was searching. She lifted a shoulder to tell him she didn’t know when it had happened. Guinea paused with her tray of concoctions halfway on the table and her eyes filled with tears, whether from sorrow or happiness, it was hard to say.
Nova’s eyes stopped on McKy.
Her brother sat in the captain’s chair. He looked from Nova to the screen and then back.
“You love a title-less, bloody, fiest-bitten, dirty gladiator from a prison planet?” he sputtered.
Nova stared at her brother. His eyes were the same green Cadonian cat eyes as hers; why was he so much better at appearing disgusted and enraged at the same time? She had half an impulse to hide beneath Junquit’s desk as she had done in her youth whenever her father got angry. His hair was a mess of wild blonde snarls through which his pointed ears protruded; his chin and cheeks were covered in a scruffy beard he would never have allowed to besmirch his face in any other condition. She had never seen her brother in such disarray.
He would have been far worse if she hadn’t started the rescue. Thanks to Lady Winden getting Nova’s bribes to her contact on Akrul, McKy had been able to avoid the arena until they could rescue him.
The thought made Nova grit her teeth. “McKy, you have no idea what I’ve been through to get here.” She waved a hand to indicate the crew. “What we’ve been through.” She poked a finger at his chest. “If you are going to judge me, wait until you know all of the facts, brother.” She pointed at the screen. “That man risked his life many times for us. He fought, he bled, he learned to dance,” she blinked, refusing to let the tears fall as the memories threatened to overwhelm her, “and somewhere along the line, he stole my heart. Was it intentional? I don’t think so. Did I just betray him worse than any person in the history of the ‘Verse?” She lowered her gaze. “Yes.”
“But it was the plan,” Kaj pointed out gently.
Nova nodded. “It was, and it worked.” She wanted to glare at McKy, but she was still so overwhelmed at seeing him alive and on their family ship that she couldn’t do more than choke back a sob. “We need a new plan,” she said. McKy opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off before he could utter a syllable. “And if you so much as whisper about going home before that Smiren is out of harm’s way, you’ll be thrown in the brig.”
McKy stared at her with wide eyes. A slight smile heightened the light of respect that showed on his face when he said, “Sis, I think you’ve grown up since I last saw you.”
A small squeak of what was probably hysterical laughter escaped from her and she said, “So you’ll go with us?”
He looked around at the crew. “Do I have a choice?”
“Not on your life, My Lord,” Kaj replied.
McKy sighed but gave his sister a smile, “Then count me in.” He looked at the screen. “He just killed another one, but he doesn’t look good. There’s no way we can get back to Akrul in time.”
“I’ll try my best,” Junquit said.
Nova barely heard the pilot. She glanced at the screen and her heart slowed at the sight of the big man in gold. He hung upside down in the pit, his armor caught on either side. His legs thrashed as he struggled to free himself. A heart-rending scream tore through the air and his motions stilled. As they watched, the body was pulled down into the pit where it vanished from sight.
Only the woman with the swords remained. She circled the pit slowly. Her cowl hid her face and her silver
cloak flowed around her in rippling waves. She looked like molten metal, molded from the same steel as her swords. The blade she held sliced through the air as though an extension of her arm, whispering death in the razor-sharp glint of its edge. Her grace was captivating and spine-tingling as she followed Kovak around the ring. Fear spiked through Nova with mind-numbing strength. She fell into the closest chair.
“My Lady,” Kaj called out, hurrying to her side.
He asked her something but she couldn’t hear it. Her entire attention was on the screen in front of her.
Kovak limped backwards. Blood streamed from at least a dozen different wounds. How he was still standing at all was beyond Nova’s comprehension. He left footprints in the sawdust with every step. His bleeding hand matched his bleeding chest. Blood coated the side of his face and clumped in his hair. He held one of the silver woman’s swords in his left hand. Nova had no idea how he had gotten it from her.
Hope filled her when he lifted it, for he did so without hesitation.
“Three of your quartet are now bodies for the kixon,” Kovak said.
“Is he talking to her?” Jashu Blu asked.
“Quiet!” Junquit and Kaj scolded him.
“Listen,” Junquit said. She turned up the volume.
“Do you want to be the survivor, the last of the Darkness?” Kovak asked. “Because if my record tells you anything, seventy-five percent of your quartet is dead. That doesn’t look very good for you.”
Nova smiled despite her fear. If anyone could talk himself out of such a hopeless situation, it was Kovak. How she had ever dared let such a rascal onto her ship was beyond her. He smiled the smile she knew so well, and her stomach felt as if skitter flies were fluttering inside.
“Come on, Leanda, we can join forces. Your single Darkness can become a duo. It’s lonely to fight alone.” He looked around pointedly, careful to stay out of the reach of her sword. “Trust me, I know.”
She continued advancing toward him. He limped backwards with his sword up, ready in case she attacked. Nova didn’t know why the woman waited, but she was grateful Kovak at least had a second to catch his breath. Of course, he used it to keep talking.
“Think of all the battles we could win,” he said. “My skills, your swords. We’d be unstoppable.”
She swiped at his chest. He knocked the sword away, but his own weapon flew out of his hand. He stumbled back a few steps before catching himself.
“You don’t like that?” he said. “What’s not to like? I saw how you let the others charge in before you. You saw the way I fought, calculating my weaknesses the way I would have in the Bacarian arena had the tables been turned and a little fairer.” He gave her a wry smile. “I’m sorry to point out the obvious, but you have to admit that this entire situation is rigged to your advantage. The Corporal gets his favorites and the audience pays the big marks in the hopes of an upset.” Kovak turned to face the camera Nova watched. He gestured toward the fallen bodies. “Does this count as an upset, spectators? I hope you bet on me because if you didn’t, you bet on the wrong person.” He grinned. “Or should I say people?”
Nova’s heart stopped when Leanda advanced silently toward the Smiren. She wanted to shout for him to turn around, to stop his reckless boasting.
“Turn around!” Jashu Blu said as he bounced from foot to foot with anxiety.
“Why doesn’t he turn around?” Kaj muttered.
“Have I played your game fully?” Kovak continued addressing the camera. “Is your thirst for blood slackened, or will it ever be satiated?” His eyes narrowed slightly and a recognizable glint showed in them when he said, “Will mine?”
The woman in silver was almost to him. She raised her sword. It flashed, catching the light as she brought it down at his back in an arc that couldn’t miss.
Nova felt helpless to stop the inevitable. She wanted to scream, to shout, to do anything to warn him; instead, she could only stare in horror as the blade sliced through the air.
“We have so much in common, you and I,” Kovak said as he continued to address the camera. “But one thing is certain. When the time comes, I know when I’ve lost.”
He threw himself toward the ground and turned as he fell. His bloody right hand flicked out. A throwing knife launched through the air. It hit the woman square in the chest and stopped her short. She stared down at the Smiren, her sword suspended halfway through its lethal sweep. Her expression was hidden behind the cowl; no sound escaped her lips.
It looked as though time was suspended in the arena. Specks of dust swirled in the scattered light. The creature in the pit gave a ravenous snort. Kovak had landed on his back, then lifted himself up on one elbow to watch his assailant. A skitter fly buzzed around the camera, then vanished.
The woman in silver lifted her sword slowly into the air. A look of disbelief crossed Kovak’s face. He tried to push up with one hand, but couldn’t. Nova stared open-mouthed, sure she was about to see him be slain in front of her eyes.
The woman’s arms twitched and the sword slipped from her grasp. She stumbled backwards, first one step, then another. Kovak said something quietly that the camera didn’t catch. The woman didn’t stop. Instead, the moment before she would have fallen backwards into the pit, she turned and flung herself face-forward into its depths.
Junquit covered her ears as a thunderous roar was followed by a scream, the only sound the woman in silver had made the entire fight.
Nova looked back at Kovak with a smile on her face, sure he would climb back to his feet. Instead, the camera slowly panned in to reveal his motionless body. His head was turned away. She couldn’t tell if his chest rose with breath.
“Is he dead?” Jashu Blu demanded. “He can’t be dead!”
“He’s not dead,” Junquit replied. She glanced at Nova. “At least, I don’t think so.”
“How close are we?” Kaj asked.
At the same time, a toll sounded. Junquit glanced at the computers and her eyes widened.
“It’s Akrul. They’re heralding us!” Panic showed in her expression. “What do I tell them?”
Everyone looked at Nova, but she couldn’t tear her gaze away from Kovak lying so still on the arena floor. The camera apparently couldn’t either, because it panned slowly around him, showing in grim detail the brutal wounds that may have slain him.
McKy’s voice broke through the stillness. “You delivered supplies, right?” At Junquit’s nod, he said, “Tell them they forgot to unload something. Tell them we just noticed it and we’re bringing it back.”
“What is it?” Jashu Blu asked.
McKy let out a frustrated breath. “It doesn’t matter, don’t you see? What matters is that they let us land. We’ll figure out a plan after that.”
Kaj and Gardsworn roped together some random crates from the storage bay and pushed them to where the other supplies had been. Everyone’s nerves thrummed when the soldiers approached the ship. It was the only chance they had.
“I don’t know how they missed them, but these should have gone with the others. They aren’t ours,” Gardsworn said.
“Get on with it then,” Corporal Thaymes replied, his tone one of agitation. “Take them with the others.”
Nova was pretty sure the Corporal’s sour attitude came from the loss of the Quartet of Darkness along with his gladiator. Her heart ached at every breath that went by without her knowing if Kovak was alright. She had seen his wounds. They looked impossible to survive, but she had to know for herself. Tears burned in her eyes, but she glared into the darkness until they went away. He had been so very strong for her; she would be the same for him.
Motion made her nearly tumble over. She righted herself as quietly as possible and listened to the wheels upon the ramp as her box was taken down. Nerves filled Nova. She clenched her hands into fists. Her heart pounded so loud she was afraid the Akrul soldiers would overhear through the wooden crate. She closed her eyes and focused on listening in the hopes that she could find her wa
y back, but after several turns, she knew she was lost entirely. She prayed McKy could remember. He had always had a good mind for directions.
Gratitude and relief had filled her when her brother had climbed into the next box.
“You don’t think I’m letting you out of my sight after all we’ve both been through, do you?” he had said.
It hadn’t been the statement of a controlling big brother; instead, it was the words of a brother who had been just as afraid for his sister as she was for him.
At her searching look, he shook his head. “We may have had our differences growing up, but we’ve both had been through a whole lot since Father’s death. All we have is each other now. You flew across the ‘Verse for me, and even though I don’t know this gladiator, I can tell he means something to you. Believe me when I say I’m a whole lot more willing to carrying out your crazy plan with you instead of letting you go on alone.” His gaze softened and he said, “I know you, Nova. If he is worth all of this to you, then I’ll do everything I can to help you get him back.”
Eventually the sound of a door creaking open was followed by a thump as her box was shoved off the cart and onto the floor.
“Shouldn’t we open them and figure out which storage room to put them in?” a woman’s voice asked.
Nova’s heartbeat thundered in her ears. She held her breath so she could hear the answer.
“There’ll be plenty of time tomorrow,” another woman replied. “Leave it to Rabbits to deliver at all hours of the night. What do they think we are? Rovens who never sleep?”
“I know, right?” the first woman said. Her voice died away along with her footsteps. Nova caught her faint words of, “They treat us like animals here. I wouldn’t be surprised if they get the next soldiers from the Animus System….”
“Nova, are you here?” McKy whispered loudly.
“I’m here,” she replied.
She put her back to the top of the crate and pushed. The few nails Gardsworn had used to close it creaked, then gave way. She sucked in a lungful of air that was far less humid than the box had been.
