His reaction, or lack thereof, only reaffirmed to Opal that her decision to lie had been the right one.
***
Rage bubbled within Hades. He'd barely contained it, when Opal shared Perseus' plans. How dare Perseus try to claim Taylor, when she was under his protection! No one was allowed to touch her.
You did.
He growled. Angry at himself. Angry at Perseus. Angry with Taylor for somehow getting to him, when no one had been able to reach inside. What was he going to do? He couldn't claim her, but there was no way in Fury's fires he'd let Perseus do so.
What if Taylor petitioned him on behalf of Perseus?
Hades' chest clenched, squeezing his two hearts. He rubbed the spot to ease the ache. Taylor had given herself to him. She had surrendered her body to the Dark King. Surely that meant something to her. It did to him. Even though afterwards he’d gone out of his way not to show it.
His furs still held her delicious scent. The sumptuous aroma had made sleeping in them nearly impossible. Hades had been hard all night and had eventually taken himself in hand to relieve the pressure, when all he'd wanted to do was send for Taylor. Keeping his distance had been a mistake.
Hades had half a mind to hunt the flame-haired Earthling down and remind her again that she was his. His to pleasure, his to fuck, his to keep, for as long as she remained in his Kingdom. He could almost picture the shocked expression on Taylor's face if he did so. Hades would've smiled if the situation weren't so serious.
Just the thought of another warrior laying his hands upon Taylor brought out his Beast, his Other. The Beast would fight Perseus or any other warrior stupid enough to try to take her from him. Hades refused to look too closely at why the thought of her with another bothered him so. Or why he'd so easily ignored Opal's sexual invitation.
His gaze strayed back to the challenge. If Perseus was in a hurry to die, then he was done trying to save him.
***
Opal left the King's chambers, still stinging from his rejection. She strode down the hall and stopped outside of Taylor's door. She knocked and impatiently waited for a response. Taylor opened the door, her hair wet from a recent cleansing.
"I need to go out for a while. Do you think you can stay out of trouble until I return?" Opal asked.
Taylor cocked her hip. "I didn't realize that I'd been in any trouble," she said. "Did I miss something?"
Opal projected patience she did not feel. "It is my duty to keep you safe. King's orders, remember? But I have something that I need to do. I should be back in a few hours."
Taylor's expression lightened. "So you want me to cover for you, is that it?"
"Yes," she said through tight lips.
They stared at each other for a few more seconds, then Taylor shrugged. "Sure, why not? If I run into Hades, which I doubt, I'll make an excuse for why you're not there."
Opal inclined her head. "Thank you."
"No problem." Taylor shut the door.
Opal rushed off, making her way out the side of the Keep, past the courtyard training area. Perseus and another warrior were working on their sword skills. He was both precise and deadly, when he struck. For a second, Opal felt doubt creep into her mind. Could Hades beat Perseus in the Pit?
Perseus spotted her and stopped sparring. "Where are you going in such a hurry?" he asked.
"That is none of your concern," Opal said.
"Aren't you supposed to be guarding the Earth woman that the King is so fond of?" he asked.
Opal hesitated. "She means nothing to him. Another distraction. He'll tire of her soon enough."
Perseus' brow rose. "Is that what you think?"
"Yes, why wouldn't I? The King is nothing if not a creature of habit." Opal tried to move past him, but he stepped in her way. "I told Hades about your mutual interest in Taylor. Fortunately for you, the Dark King isn’t one to fight over a female."
Perseus frowned. "You told Hades that I was interested in Taylor? You shouldn’t have done that." An odd expression flashed across his face.
"It's the truth, isn’t it?" Opal asked.
"Yes, I suppose it is,” Perseus said. “But I don't think your plan is going to work."
Opal's face paled. Did he know that she was going in search of the Slavers? "W-what plan?"
Perseus snorted. "The one to drive Hades and Taylor apart. That is what you’re trying to do, right?"
Relief warred with surprise. "I don’t know what you’re talking about," Opal said.
"Yes, you do." Perseus shook his head and gave her a commiserative look. "You’ve noticed the way the Dark King looks at Taylor. He practically salivates every time she enters the room. Not that I blame him, Taylor is rather luscious." Perseus grinned in remembrance, then his sharp gaze speared Opal. "Honestly, I'm surprised he hasn't marked her yet."
"You know not of what you speak." Opal denied his accusations vehemently, but she couldn't shake the doubt that crept into her mind. She'd invited Hades to take her and he'd refused. The Dark King never turned down a chance to fuck.
Perseus' mouth curved. "Don't I? If I had the opportunity to bed Taylor, she'd be wearing my mark right now. Too bad she only has eyes for the Dark King."
"She is a foolish human who will leave here soon enough,” she said. “Besides, everyone knows that Hades has no intention of taking a mate."
"Yet you still live in hope," Perseus said with a laugh.
"Watch your tongue, warrior or I might just cut it out," Opal spat.
His expression hardened. "Righthand, do not think that your current position intimidates me. I am not like the other guards. Speaking of which, did you deliver my challenge to the King?"
Opal snorted. "You're a fool!"
"Did you?" he repeated, this time with more force.
"Yes!" she snapped. "The King said that you should make peace with the Goddess before tomorrow night."
Something flared behind Perseus' eyes, but he quickly banked the emotion. Whether it was doubt, fear, or triumph, Opal would never know.
"You side with the wrong warrior, Righthand," he said. "Perhaps if you'd come to me first, before spreading your thighs for the King, then you would be marked and mated by now."
“I would never allow you to touch me.” Opal's chin rose. "You know I side with the King."
Perseus shrugged. "And what if I am King after tomorrow night? What then? Where will your allegiance lie?"
"Wherever it needs to," she said.
He smiled, but there was no warmth behind it. "Perhaps you should come to my chambers tonight, I just might be able to sway you in my favor ahead of time."
Opal looked him up and down. "That is doubtful. Now I must go." She hurried out the side doors.
Before she slipped through, Perseus added, “Watch out for the Slavers. They’re turning out to be quite a challenge for the King. Who knew they could be so useful?”
Opal paused to look at him, but Perseus had already gone back to sparring. What did he mean by useful? It was an odd phrase that continued to eat at her as she made her way down the mountain, along the stone-covered path that wound its way into the Walled City.
She paused at the bottom of the rough trail to review her calculations. Opal skirted along the city's east wall, slipping behind the various merchant stalls that lined the streets during the day. At sundown most of the stalls would fold up shop and return home. A few of the food vendors stayed open for longer hours to take advantage of late night strollers and shift changes at the Keep.
She caught a whiff of delicious spiced bread wafting on the air. Opal's stomach growled at the thought of biting into the aromatic dough. When had she last eaten? She couldn't recall. Opal ignored her hunger and kept moving. She didn't know how long it would take to reach the search area, so there was no time to waste. She needed to be in and out before Hades noticed.
Thanks to Perseus’ formal challenge to the King, that might be a while.
She reached the transport loaner station near the great d
oors that marked the entrance to the Walled City. The hover transports had been tethered to various poles, their engines running. The soft puttering sound barely registered over the loud voices haggling in nearby clothing stalls.
Opal flashed her credentials, then handed the man a fist full of credits. He pointed to a transport hovering three feet in the air. "Bring it back the way that you found it," he said. "The last time one of the King's guards checked out one of my hovers they brought it back in pieces."
She didn't answer because she couldn't make that kind of promise. Opal had no idea what she would encounter in the ravines. She grabbed the tether and pulled the machine to her. The hover sputtered, threatening to rise in the air. Opal hopped on before it succeeded and strapped herself onto the narrow seat. Once secured, she unfastened the tether. The transport rose into the air. She adjusted the altitude setting, then shouted, "Open the gates!"
The sentry guards held fast until she flashed her ID. Upon seeing the symbol of the Righthand, they pressed a button and the gates dematerialized. Opal gunned the hover’s engine and zipped out into the Ruggeds.
Most people in Hades' Kingdom lived within the Walled City. Some, like her parents, had chosen to homestead in the valleys between the mountains, aptly known as the Ruggeds, since life there was difficult and survival was questionable.
Opal knew this land like the back of her sword. She'd grown up here, played here. She knew every place to hide, every spot to hunt, and every water source. If the Slavers were still on Zaron, she would find them.
***
Four hours later, Opal was ready to give up. She'd searched the three ravines that scarred the land near her old homestead. Other than the crash debris in Rydon Ravine, she hadn't spotted any sign of the Slavers or their ships. Since she'd told no one of her mission, there wasn’t a chance that the Slavers could've been forewarned.
Given the lack of supplies at the crash site, it was more than obvious some of the crew had survived. Solo pilots didn’t man slaver ships and there'd only been one body. She thought about all the places she explored as a child. There were so many. She'd covered the most obvious locations and was slowly making her way through her secret spots.
The sun was sinking fast. Soon she'd have to return to the safety of the Keep. Opal turned the transport in a wide arc, scanning the land and the woods in the distance. As she was doing so, something sparkled amongst the dark purple leaves, then quickly vanished.
It could be nothing, she thought, but she needed to be sure.
Opal turned the hover once more, watching the tree-line closely. The flash came again, this time more definite. Not natural. Alien tech. Reflective camouflage. She cut the power on her transport and it slowly floated to the ground. With a flick of a button, she hid the vehicle, using less sophisticated tech than the Slaver's had.
She couldn't afford for them to hear her approach. Opal shuddered at the thought of being captured by the vicious Slavers. She'd seen what they'd done to imprisoned females firsthand, when she'd participated in a rescue mission three years ago. They'd only found five of the eight women alive. The rest had been dissected, their parts distributed to exotic shops around the galaxy.
Opal couldn't fathom that there were sentient beings in the galaxy that still believed that ground up humanoid organs worked as aphrodisiacs and had healing properties, but she'd seen the stalls with her own eyes and she'd helped unpack the body parts of the women they'd been unable to save.
Slavers didn't always kill and dissect their captives. Sometimes they took them to Slave markets and sold them to the highest bidder. From that point, the women could be used for sex or for hard labor, sometimes both. Neither fate was one any woman wanted to experience. Opal had even heard rumors that on very rare occasions Slavers claimed the women for themselves. But as far as she could tell, those stories were only rumors, since she'd never seen any proof.
Opal crept through the woods, keeping downwind. Slavers weren't like Phantoms, but it wasn't uncommon for them to have 'enhanced' their senses with nanotech. She stayed low to the ground. When she couldn't get any closer without betraying her position and the rugged terrain became too difficult to navigate, Opal shifted into her cat form.
She launched herself into a tree, using her sharp claws to gain purchase, then worked her way from limb to limb until she had a clear view of the area. Opal froze, her tail flicking dangerously behind her as she stared at the crude campsite.
It was larger than she'd expected. Large enough that it should've easily been discovered. No way could they have remained hidden without help. Their tech wasn't that good.
A whoosh sound came from her right. Opal crouched low on the branch as a leather clad Slaver with black, braided hair stepped out into what seemed to be thin air. Instead of crashing to the ground, he appeared to float on invisible currents. Given his broad shoulders and muscle packed body that should’ve been impossible.
The craft was completely camouflaged, but she could tell he was standing in an entrance door. He was far above the treetops, situated much higher than what an average-sized Slaver ship was designed for. They’d somehow managed to interlock all three ships together, turning it into one massive craft.
The Slaver’s blue skin held a tinted hue that indicated he'd spent a lot of time on one of the water planets. Since Slavers were nomadic by nature, there was no way to narrow down the location. Without warning, he looked in her direction, his golden eyes glowing against the setting sun.
Opal didn't move. Didn't breathe.
His gaze held for longer than it should have, then slowly drifted on. Opal could still feel that molten gold searing her fur. She waited for him to sound the alarm, but he didn't. He simply continued to survey the area. Had the purple leaves somehow hidden her?
"Captain Hawk!" someone shouted. "See anything?"
The leather-clad man turned his head, his unerring gaze skimming over her feline form once more. "Nothing to worry about," he said in a deep reverberating voice that made Opal's fur bristle.
More men filed out behind him. They jumped, dropping over thirty feet, landing easily on the ground.
Definitely enhanced, Opal thought, especially the one they'd called 'Hawk'.
He'd seen her. Of that there was no doubt. She'd felt his gaze. Could still feel it. Why hadn't the captain informed anyone of her presence? Opal scented the air, but she smelled nothing of the men or their ship.
Fear and something unidentifiable worked its way through her, raising the fur on her back. She'd never encountered Slavers this cunning. Maybe they weren't receiving help from the inside. Maybe they were simply far more advanced than the Phantom world. What did that mean for Zaron and its people?
Opal silently counted their numbers. She wanted to make sure that her report to Hades was as accurate as possible. Twenty-five exited the massive ship, which meant there were probably another ten or so still onboard.
She watched them closely, while maintaining her position amongst the trees. The men stood around a holomap, pointing at various locations. From this distance, Opal could only make out a few of the areas, but it was more than obvious from the ones that she did identify that they had somehow gotten their hands on classified material.
Her thoughts flashed to Taylor. Hades thought she was innocent, but Opal wasn’t so sure. Was Taylor a spy? Was she helping the Slavers? Did she know the one called Hawk? Her stomach soured at the thought. First Hawk, now Hades. It was time to confront the Earth woman.
***
Taylor woke with a start, her hair tangled in her face. What was that sound? The banging came again, this time louder. It took her a minute to figure out that it was coming from her door.
She stumbled out of bed and stubbed her toe. She yelped and hopped the rest of the way. Taylor opened the door with a yawn to find Opal standing on the other side, glaring at her.
She blinked, trying to clear some of the sleep away. "What's up?"
Opal shoved her back inside the room and followed
her in, shutting the door behind her. "I want the truth!" she demanded.
"What?" Taylor yawned again. "Why are you shouting?"
This time when Opal shoved her, Taylor fell. She dropped onto her bottom and bounced. The jolt woke her addled brain. "What is your problem?"
Opal glared at her and her hand moved to the pommel of her sword.
Taylor jumped to her feet and backed away. She quickly searched her room for a weapon, but the only sharp object in sight was the heel of her stiletto. She picked up the pump and pointed it at Opal, though there was little chance of doing any damage against a sword.
"Do you want to explain what's going on?" Taylor held the spiked heel between them.
"Tell me how you contacted them and I will make sure that your death is merciful," Opal said.
Taylor shoved her hair back. "Uh, who are you talking about?"
"The Slavers! Do not try to lie, I have seen evidence of their presence with my own eyes."
She held up one hand. "Listen, I don't know what you've seen, but I assure you that I have had no part in helping your invaders," Taylor said.
“Slavers!” Opal screeched.
“Whatever.” Taylor rolled her eyes. "I had never heard of those guys, until you brought them up."
Opal's red gaze narrowed and seemed to glow in the low lighting. "Hawk!" she shouted.
"Squirrel!" Taylor countered.
Opal took a menacing step forward. "Who is Squirrel?" she grit out between clenched teeth.
Taylor shrugged. "How should I know? I thought we were playing a word association game."
"You do not know a squirrel?" Opal asked.
Her brow tilted. "A squirrel is a what, not a who. Furry rodent, bushy tail, likes nuts, kind of cute. Ring any bells?"
Opal snorted in disgust and her hand dropped from the pommel of her sword. "You really are an underdeveloped species." She shook her head. "I do not understand what our warriors see in you. A fertile womb and plentiful numbers do not make up for the loss in aptitude. We would've been better off facing our extinction with dignity than to lower ourselves by breeding with dimwitted humans."
Atlantean's Quest 5: The Dark King Page 12
