Omi nodded slowly. "You have behaved well these last seven days."
"Please forgive me for my earlier rudeness," Nova said, bowing her head low.
It made her sick to kowtow and kneel in the dirt in front of the violent man but it was the only way she could see of getting free. She had to see her friends and make sure they were okay, Omi was the thing standing in her way so she had to get past him, no matter what it took.
"I will allow you to see your friends for one hour," Omi said. "I think the village would be too much for you at this time. My guards will accompany you."
"Of course, My Lord, thank you so much."
"You will leave now," he said. "Bitami!"
Bitami stepped inside the chamber as soon as his name was called.
"Gather six guards; you will take Stranger down to see the other foreigners," Omi said.
"Yes, My Lord," Bitami said. He turned on his heel and marched out of the meeting hall.
Nova bowed again to Omi, who had already returned to his parchment, and backed out of the hall, keeping her head low. Once out of sight she practically jogged through the garden, to the main gate where Bitami was already waiting, surrounded by guards. Six broke away and formed a box around Nova whilst the rest remained lined along the entrance.
Bitami stepped forward so that he stood eye-to-eye with Nova. "If you try to escape, my men have been ordered to stop you by whatever means necessary."
Nova nodded once. She kept her head up; it was one thing for her to fake respect with Omi but she wasn't going to spend the rest of her life with her head lowered.
"You will be given exactly one hour, no more."
Nova nodded once.
"Good. Forward."
Bitami marched to the front of the group and led the collection of guards down the path from the mansion. Nova relished in the open space, she'd spent the last week cooped up inside Omi's mansion and she was sure she was on the verge of madness. Still, it was better than her time spent on Ankar; Omi's prison had nothing in comparison to that.
The village looked just as she remembered, with decrepit shacks made of paper-thin walls and thatched roofs. The dirt road through the middle of town was empty as they approached. Still, Nova felt a tingle on the back of her spine as if she was being watched. She could imagine the faces of the villagers, just inside their windows, shrouded by darkness.
Bitami led her around the side of the village to a hut that Nova was sure hadn't been there before. It was even more ramshackle than the rest of the village and three guards stood at the entrance beside a crackling fire. They looked thoroughly displeased and their faces remained stern as Bitami approached.
"She is permitted one hour with them," Bitami said.
The guards nodded and stepped to the side. Nova marched to the door, ripped it open and slammed it shut behind her without taking the time to see what was inside.
The smell hit her before her eyes adjusted to the darkness. The smell of piss, shit, and sweat clouded around her head and made her eyes water.
"Who the hell is that?" Gus's voice boomed out of the darkness.
"It's me," Nova said, shaking off the smell and focusing her eyes.
"Bloody hell, don't tell me they've put you here too," Gus said.
"Just for an hour," Nova replied. "Don't you have a light?"
"No," Gus replied. "Not since someone tried to set the walls of our last place on fire. They don't give us lanterns anymore."
"Aart!" Nova said.
"How did you know it was me? But you can smell it," Aart said. "You'd want to get out of here too."
"That's the truth," Nova said.
She opened the door wide and stuck her head into the sunshine. The brightness made her squint but she found Bitami and locked eyes with him.
"We need a light," she said.
"No!" the guard who had been standing in front of the hut said. "They'll use it to escape. These people have no honour."
Bitami's eyes narrowed as he looked back at Nova.
"We won't use it to escape. It's darker than a black-hole in here. We need something."
"Do you swear upon your honour and your friends' lives that you won't try to escape?" said Bitami.
"Yes!"
Bitami nodded to the man who had protested. He bent down and lifted a lantern from the floor. He reluctantly lit it from a fire at his feet and handed it to Nova. He watched her with narrowed eyes as she nodded once and closed the door on them.
Nova held the lantern up and nearly dropped it with shock. Gus lay propped against the far wall, covered in bruises while Aart sat near Nova's feet with a scowl on his face. Tyra managed a brief wave as Nova's gaze travelled over her and fell to Tanguin. Tanguin lay sprawled in the middle of the floor with her eyes closed. Her chest moved rapidly up and down and her chin was covered in food.
"What's wrong with her?" Nova said, dashing forward.
She knelt by Tanguin's side and took up one of her hands. It was cold and clammy to the touch.
"It's their food," Tyra said. "She's been gradually fading away since you left. Some man comes and sees her sometimes. He tries to feed her something, a medicine I think, it helps a little but it's still not enough."
Nova's stomach churned, Tanguin looked almost dead, her face white as bone.
"She's still doing better than him," Aart said.
Nova glanced at him and followed his gaze to the furthest corner where the lamplight didn't quite reach. A pile of cushions lay bundled together in a makeshift bed with Orion sprawled over it. Purple bruises and dried blood covered every inch of him and his breath came in ragged hiccupping gasps. His arm was strapped to his chest.
"He hasn't woken up in days," Aart said.
"They didn't even bring him a bed," Tyra said. "That one is for Tanguin but she refuses to sleep on it while Orion's so bad."
"But—"
Nova stumbled from Tanguin's side to Orion. Up close his face resolved into a pummelled mess of bruised and broken flesh. He looked like a deformed eggplant, or worse. She placed her hand on his free arm. Where Tanguin had been cold, a layer of heat poured off Orion's skin like an oven.
"I was told they were helping him," she said.
"You can talk to the bastards?" Aart said.
Nova waved her hand. "I managed to get back to the ships and Cal gave me a patch."
"Lucky you," Aart said.
"But what about Orion?"
"A guy comes in here now and then," Tyra said. "But he doesn't do much. He just looks into Orion's eyes, checks his pulse and then leaves. He looks angry enough to kill every time he steps into this place."
"He doesn't look like he knows what he's doing if you ask me," Aart said.
"He doesn't," Nova whispered. "He's a vet."
"A what?" Aart asked through gritted teeth.
"The medicine man, the one who must be looking after Tanguin, is forbidden from looking after Orion. It's something about Orion being a dishonourable man," Nova said. Her body deflated with the words until all she could do was sink to the floor beside Orion and look out at her companions.
"Bastard," said Aart. "He's going to die if they don't treat him properly."
Nova shook her head. "I had no idea."
"Where have you been anyway?" Gus said. "Fancy clothes you've got on."
Nova held her head in her hands and stared at the floor. "I thought I was going through hell but this… I've been living with that bastard in the black cloak; Omi. For whatever reason his boss, the Emperor, wants me looked after."
"So you've been living the fine life while we've been down here dying?" Aart said, his grin twisting at the edges into a sneer.
"Hardly," Nova said. "The food's just as bad, the clothes are worse and I can't do anything except sit and be quiet."
"So," Gus said. "Are we getting out of here or what?"
"Yes," Nova replied without hesitation.
"You've got a plan?" Aart asked.
"Not at all. But we will get off
this damned planet."
"You might have all the time in the world to come up with a plan, but we don't," said Aart. "Tanguin will waste away to nothing in another month and I have no idea how much longer Orion is gonna hang on."
Bitterness poured off Aart in waves. Nova had to bite her lip to stop a hot response from blistering out at him. He had a reason to be pissed, he was trapped in this shit box while at least she was out in the open; free by comparison.
"You're not staying like this," Nova said, clenching her fist. "I'll make sure this changes, today. Orion's not going to die just because they're bastards with some misplaced honour complex."
"Yeah," Aart said, but he didn't sound convinced.
They spent the rest of their time reminiscing because the past was far less painful than the present. Bitami knocked on the door after an hour and it felt far too soon for Nova.
"I'll make it better," she said as she walked out of the hut and into the bright sunlight, taking the lamp with her.
CHAPTER TEN
Nova burst into the mansion, her boots thumping on the wooden floorboards.
"What the hell do you call that?" she yelled at Omi.
A tiny voice in the back of her head yelled at her to stop, to take off her boots, to approach with respect, but a whirlwind of rage had lifted Nova up and bore her forward like an unstoppable torrent. She couldn't have taken off her boots any more than she could have stopped her heart from pounding against her ribs.
Three guards appeared from behind the sliding screens and ran for her. They pinned her arms to her sides and held her in place. She struggled to break free but she was no match for the three of them at once. As they gripped her arms they stared at her boots with looks of horror. She took some satisfaction in that but it was a small drop in the swirling rage that carried red across her vision.
Omi sprung up from the crimson cushions and stood towering over her, nostrils flaring.
"How dare you come in here like this," he said, a vein throbbing in his neck. "You stomp on my home with your filth, you dishonour me with your disrespect. You should be chopped into a thousand pieces and fed to slugs!"
Nova thrust her chin forward. "You're one to talk about honour! You told me that my friends were being looked after. Two of them are nearly dead!"
"It's not my fault that your friends are weak. If the Gods think them deserving of life then they will live."
"That's bullshit."
"That's the truth. If it wasn't for Toro, I would have killed you many times over by now."
"If you don't give my friends better conditions, I won't tell Toro anything and I'll tell him that it's your fault."
"You wouldn't dare."
"I would, in an instant."
"If you don't back down now I will kill one of your friends."
Nova glared up at Omi. He was serious, but so was she. If she didn't get help for Orion and Tanguin now they would die anyway. It was better for her to make a stand now, rather than do it on her knees later.
"Then give me access to my ship and I'll look after them!" The medical supplies on board the bounty hunter vehicles would see Tanguin and Orion healed in no time.
"No."
"Why the hell not?"
"Your ships are… unavailable."
Nova's heart jerked. Crusader. Cal. Without them she really was trapped on Chindo. "What do you mean?" Panic replaced rage.
"That's none of your business."
Nova took a ragged breath. She would worry about the ships later, right now she had to save Tanguin and Orion, even if that meant bowing to Omi. "Send your guards away."
"Do you think I'm an idiot?"
"You're not scared of me are you?" Nova asked.
Omi's face turned a brighter shade of red and he glanced at the guards. Their eyes were dutifully downcast and they pretended not to hear.
"Send them away and we'll talk," Nova said, letting her arms drop loose and stopping her struggling.
Omi narrowed his eyes and waved his hand once. The guards let go of Nova and marched out of the room.
"Take off your boots," Omi said the moment they were gone. "I can't talk to you a second longer while you befoul my home."
Nova kicked off her boots and tossed them to the side of the room. Omi winced and looked ready to explode but he said nothing.
"My companions need better care. They need proper medicine and a better place to live with a real toilet and beds."
"You're not in charge here. You have nothing to bargain with."
"I told you; I won't tell Toro anything and I'll blame you. On the other hand, if you look after my friends I'll tell Toro everything he wants to know and I'll make sure he knows that it was your idea."
Some of the red faded from Omi's face as he considered her. He rested his hands on his hips and chewed on his bottom lip. Nova could imagine the wheels working in his head; surely he had to give her what she wanted. It was nothing to him.
"I can't give you what you want just because you marched in here like an animal," Omi said after a long pause.
"What—" Nova was ready to strangle Omi right where he stood.
"I will grant you your request if you earn it honourably," Omi said, cutting her off.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"You will fight one of my best warriors. If you win, then I will grant you your request. If you lose then you will be silent and never speak of this again."
Nova threw her hands in the air. "Why go through all the effort? Why not just give me what I ask?"
"Because you haven't earned it. You came in here and disrespected my home. Be grateful I'm not killing one of your companions."
"What if your soldier kills me? Toro won't be happy…"
Omi shrugged. "I'm sure any one of your companions could give him the information he needs."
Nova clenched her teeth. Omi was right about that, there was nothing separating her from her companions except luck.
"Fine," she said.
"Excuse me?"
"Yes, My Lord. I will fight for my companions," Nova said, biting out every syllable.
"Good. The match will be tomorrow. I suggest you prepare."
"Can I have my gun back?"
"Such weapons are not permitted on Chindo. The fight will be with knives and swords as tradition dictates."
Nova nodded once and marched out of the audience hall. Her heart beat heavily in her chest; she could use a knife well enough but she would have felt far more comfortable with her pistol.
She went straight to her room because she couldn't stand the thought of running into Omi or any of his guards. She sat on the thin mattress and contemplated the wall opposite. She wondered who she'd be fighting and if they were any good. Either way she had no choice but to win, if not for her own sake then for Orion and Tanguin's.
Not long after she sat down there was a gentle tap at the door.
"Come in," she said.
Meeka slid the door open and stepped inside. She wore a shirt and trousers made of soft brown material and her face was pinched. She knelt on the floor in front of Nova and bowed her head.
"I heard about the fight," she said.
"Come to wish me luck?" Nova said, half-heartedly.
"You'll need it," Meeka said, wincing. "Omi will ask Nori to fight. He is the best swordsman in the province."
Nova shrugged. "I guess I'll just have to do my best."
"You'll have to do better than that," Meeka said.
"Bloody Omi. Why didn't he just give my companions the care they need?"
"Don't you see?" Meeka said, tilting her head and gazing up at Nova. "You insulted him by bursting into his house. You stomped on his home with your boots and then demanded that he do what you ask. If he'd agreed he would have lost face with the village and his soldiers wouldn't have respected him. This way, if you win you get your request and he doesn't lose face. If you lose then the chances are you'll be dead so he wins that way as well."
"Lose face?"
> "Yes." Meeka nodded deeply. "Honour is the most important thing and you threatened Omi's honour today. The story has already spread to the village. He's furious with you and he will try to have you killed tomorrow."
"But won't that make Toro mad?"
"It will," Meeka said, picking at a loose piece of fabric on the bottom of her shirt. "But Toro understands honour better than anyone. Omi will tell him what you did and he will agree that the fight was the best option."
Nova smacked her palm onto the mattress.
"If you'd just come in and spoke to him quietly, out of earshot of the guards, then he might have done what you asked," Meeka said, a tone of deep regret in her voice.
"Well that's fine to say now," Nova said. "But I was angry. I wanted to punch his face in."
"You have to control your emotions."
"Easy for you to say, you people are like robots!"
"It's not easy!" Meeka said. She glared straight at Nova and a venomous tone entered her voice. "Do you think it's easy for me to keep my inventions hidden? Do you think it's easy for me to say and do nothing and be treated like a slave just because of the colour of my eyes? Don't you think I would scream and punch them all if I thought it would make a difference?"
Nova's mouth dropped open and she leaned backwards. Fire crackled in Meeka's eyes with a ferocity that Nova hadn't seen from the other woman before.
"What—, what do you mean your eyes?" she asked, plucking the only thing she could out of Meeka's sudden tirade.
"My eyes," Meeka said in a softer tone. She lifted one hand and gestured to her face.
"What about them?" Nova said, frowning. Meeka's eyes looked normal enough to her.
"They're blue," Meeka said. "It is a sign of misfortune on Chindo."
"What? That's ridiculous," Nova said. She thought back on all the faces she'd seen so far. She felt a sinking sensation in her stomach; they had all had brown eyes, all except Meeka.
Meeka bowed her head and averted her eyes away so Nova couldn't see them.
"There must be others," Nova said.
"I've heard there are some in the Capital," Meeka said, her head still bowed. "But I have yet to see another. Until you and your companions arrived of course. The people of Chindo are very concerned about you; so many light eyes is a bad omen."
Stranger Page 7
