Lazet

by Arcadia Shield

  Lazet grabbed hold of Melody’s arm as she moved past him. “Don’t go out there alone. You won’t last long.”

  “I’ll last longer than staying here with somebody I can’t trust.” She tried to shake his hand off her arm, but Lazet held on.

  “You can trust me,” said Lazet. “And you can trust Urel. He’s never done anything to harm you.”

  “I don’t know him,” said Melody.

  Lazet stepped towards Melody and leaned down so his mouth was close to her ear. “Urel is helping us in the next step in our escape. He did exactly what he needed to do. He’s your friend, your alien brother.”

  “Fine. Maybe I do trust him. But you willingly agreed to end my life,” said Melody.

  “Sometimes, I am tempted to do just that.” Lazet sighed. “You don’t listen to me. Why make this so hard on yourself?”

  “I’ve got no reason to trust you,” said Melody. “I’ve seen what goes on in these games, and I know what the outcome is going to be. You could be feeding me these lies just to make the kill more entertaining. How do I know you’re not going to lead me into some elaborate plan and then chop my limbs off as the Fraken instructed?”

  “You don’t know that for sure,” said Lazet.

  “You see.” Melody struggled in his grip. “I’m better off on my own.”

  Lazet’s grip tightened. “You really aren’t.”

  “Let me go,” said Melody. “It’s my decision.”

  “I need to keep you safe.”

  “I won’t be safe if you want me dead.” Melody shoved against Lazet’s chest. “Get out of my way.”

  “You’re not going anywhere.” Lazet grabbed hold of both of Melody’s arms. “You have to stop fighting this. Just trust me.”

  Melody kicked Lazet in the shins and then stamped on his foot. “How can I trust someone who’s preventing me from doing what I want to?”

  Lazet hissed out in pain at Melody’s kick. She was strong for someone so small. “It’s for your own good.”

  “I get to decide what’s best for me.” She yanked her arm free and swung a fist at Lazet.

  He blocked it easily and pulled her to his chest, pinning her arms to her sides. “You’ll only end up getting hurt if you keep fighting me.”

  “I knew you were going to kill me,” said Melody.

  “I’m not the one who will kill you,” said Lazet. “But if you go out there, the Fraken will take you down.”

  Melody squirmed in Lazet’s tight grip, and he felt himself respond as her breasts pressed against his chest and her skin heated under his touch. Her anger made her even more beautiful.

  “Let me go,” spat out Melody. “You can’t keep me here against my will.”

  “I have orders that say otherwise,” said Lazet. “And I never disobey those orders.”

  “You’re just a brainwashed Fraken slave,” said Melody.

  “I do not follow their orders,” said Lazet. “I plan to be a free Vorten. And if you stop being so angry and listen to me, you’ll know that’s what I want for you as well.”

  “I wish I knew who to believe.” Melody sagged against him.

  “Believe me,” said Lazet. “When we first met, I did want to kill you. Stringing me up like that was bad manners.”

  Melody shrugged and squirmed in his grip. “How was I to know what was going to happen? I never thought my killer would proclaim he wanted to help me.”

  “I do want to help you and others. When we get out, life is going to be different. Change is coming, and we’re going to help make that happen.” Lazet pressed his lips to Melody’s forehead.

  Melody stopped fighting and looked up at him. “I heard what you said about Eloise being injured. Was it by your friend, Axen?”

  “No, Axen would never hurt her. She was injured when they fought the Fraken. But she looked well when I saw her. The Deorg will have helped her with any injuries.”

  “Eloise really got out of the game alive?”

  “Your friend got out,” said Lazet. “I didn’t lie to you about that. She’s safe and well and being protected by the best Vorten warrior there is.”

  “And if I get out of here, I can see her?”

  “Of course.” Lazet relaxed his grip on Melody, sensing her anger was fading. “But when we get out of here, we’re both going to need to keep our heads down. The Fraken will be after us.”

  “Where will we go?”

  “Good question,” said Lazet. “I don’t have an answer for that.”

  “How can you trust someone so completely when they tell you so little?” asked Melody.

  “I’ve known my warrior brothers for many cycles,” said Lazet. “Trust is essential for our elite squad. We go into dangerous battle situations all the time. If I didn’t trust them to watch my back, it would never work. And they trust me. I’m always there for them.”

  Melody let out a sigh. “That sounds nice. I don’t think I’ve ever had that. Don’t think I ever will.”

  “Sounds like you haven’t been treated well in the past,” said Lazet. “Not everyone is out to scam you.”

  Melody’s eyes narrowed. “Most of them are.”

  “I’m not,” said Lazet.

  “So, you’re not going to kill me? You really are that good of an actor?”

  Lazet leaned down and pressed his lips to Melody’s. “I’m definitely not going to kill you.”

  Melody’s eyes widened, before closing and responding to Lazet’s kiss. She pulled back almost instantly. “I want to trust you, but you sounded so convincing. Please, don’t let me down.”

  “I won’t.” Lazet tightened his hold on Melody. “I will get you out alive, and you’ll see your friend again, and see there are decent people out there, people you can depend upon.”

  Melody nodded and a single tear tracked down her cheek.

  Lazet brushed the tear away and kissed her cheek, before moving down to her mouth again. He felt her lips part and their tongues met in a crash of desire. He ran a hand down her arm and then crushed her to him. He loved the feel of her curves under his hands, the way her waist narrowed and her hips swelled out.

  He pulled away and looked down at Melody. “Do you trust me now?”

  “Not yet, but I’m beginning to.” She smiled tentatively at him and drew him in for another kiss.

  Lazet enjoyed the salty taste of Melody’s skin as he kissed down her throat. His hands caressed her breasts and his thumbs ran over her hard nipples. He heard her moan and kissed her breasts through the fabric of her shirt.

  “I promise you, no harm will come to you,” said Lazet. “We’re in this together.”

  Melody looked down at him, the smile slipping from her lips. “It’s so difficult to beat the Fraken.”

  Lazet pulled away from Melody’s alluring form, despite wanting to make more of those moans escape her lips. “But we can do it. The message has been sent, and now we need to wait for it to get through and then get to the exit point.”

  “Without the Fraken seeing?”

  “They’ll see,” said Lazet. “But we’ll be too fast for them. We’ll be out of here before they know what’s happening.”

  “I wish I had your belief.” Melody laced her fingers through Lazet’s. He enjoyed seeing their hands joined. Vorten women didn’t show affection to their mates, so this was a new experience for him.

  “Once you’ve spent time with the rest of the squad I’m a part of, you’ll see how important trust is. Believe me; it took me a while to know I could rely on my warrior brothers. Life is not always kind, but you can’t let it get to you. You have to know there’s something better, something worth fighting for.”

  Melody nodded. “I want to believe that. I do believe you’re not going to kill me. And I’m relieved. It would have been embarrassing for you if I’d used your own blade to slice you open when we fought.”

  Lazet shook his head and planted a quick kiss on Melody’s lips. “You would be a worthy opponent.”

  Melody laugh
ed, and Lazet leaned down for more kisses.

  Urel stepped out from behind a tree and coughed politely. “I don’t like to interrupt your... discussion, but it’s time to go. The barrier will be down soon.”

  Lazet pulled back from Melody. “Are you ready?”

  She took hold of his hand again. “Show me what we need to do. I’m right with you.”

  Chapter 23

  A pale sun shone overhead as Melody, Lazet, Urel, and Brutus hurried along the frozen ground. They were staying under the cover of trees, but many had no leaves, and she was worried the Fraken would be watching. And if they were, they would see Lazet was still holding her hand.

  She berated herself for losing trust in him. She should have known he wouldn’t betray her. But still, the cynical voice in her head kept running through everything he’d said. Melody pushed the thoughts away; there was no going back now. She’d committed to seeing this through.

  Melody liked that Lazet remained so close to her as they walked, but it concerned her that they were giving too much away. If the Fraken saw what they were doing, saw they were now all working together, they would send in more beasts. Or worse, they could meet them at their escape point and prevent them from getting through.

  “We need to hurry,” said Urel. “Axen would have been waiting for the message. It won’t have taken him long to get it decoded.”

  “Where are we going?” asked Melody.

  “In every game, there’s a main comms point, a gateway for the other links to operate through. Axen will disrupt the field around that,” said Urel. “It’s not far from here.”

  “We’ll make it,” said Lazet. “Axen won’t let us down.”

  “We might let him down, though,” said Melody. “What if the Fraken stop this?”

  “Trust me,” said Lazet, “I’m not afraid of the Fraken. They make out they’re strong warriors, but they rely on their weapons to beat people. It’s rare to see a Fraken stand up for a fight. They like to attack at a distance with their lasers or, if you get close enough to them, those cudgels they enjoy using.”

  “I do trust you.” Melody felt a stab of surprise as she said those words. Lazet had shown her a glimpse of something different, something better, a world where she could rely on others for assistance. She liked the possibility of that. And even if they didn’t get out of this game alive, she was glad she’d met Lazet and Urel, glad to know people were fighting to change things for the better.

  She felt Lazet’s hand tighten on hers. “We’ll get out of here.”

  “I will attempt to activate the main comms link, so Axen can pinpoint our location,” said Urel. “But once I do that, the Fraken will know something is wrong.”

  “Are you sure that will work?” asked Lazet. “You didn’t seem so sure when you mentioned it before.”

  “I would say the odds are in our favor.” Urel nodded, his hands clasped in front of him.

  Melody shot a worried look at Urel. “So long as you know what you’re doing.”

  Urel gave her a grim smile. “There are plenty of variables I need to take into account, not least of all, the number of Fraken trying to kill us and the number of lasers pointed at my head.”

  “I’ll protect you,” said Lazet. “You do what you need to do to get us out of here. Don’t worry about the Fraken.”

  “So will I,” said Melody. “We’ll make sure the Fraken don’t get to you.”

  “You need to keep yourself safe as well,” said Lazet to Melody. “There’s no point in us all getting killed before we get out.”

  “No, we’re all getting out together,” said Melody. “No one gets left behind.”

  “My orders are to make sure you stay alive,” said Lazet.

  “Not at the expense of your own life,” said Melody. “I’m sure this Axen didn’t mean that.”

  Lazet shook his head. “We can argue about this later when we’re all free.”

  “Fine by me.” Melody shot him a glare but then smiled. She liked that he stood up to her and didn’t take any of her nonsense. She was too hot-headed for her own good, but Lazet saw through that, saw she had a gentler side. It was a side she didn’t mind showing him.

  “It’s this way.” Urel beckoned to Melody and Lazet. “I’ll sneak around the side and start making the alterations to the comms post to get it active. You wait here unless you spot any signs of danger.”

  Lazet patted Urel on the back. “Stay safe. We’ll be watching out for you.”

  “Take Brutus with you,” said Melody. “Make sure he’s tethered somewhere close to the escape point. He’s coming with us.”

  Urel looked down at the tiny belloc. “I’m not sure we’re supposed to take creatures out of the games.”

  “He’s harmless,” said Melody. “And he’s as much a prisoner as we are and an innocent. He doesn’t deserve to be here. Brutus comes too.”

  Lazet grinned. “Better do as she says.”

  Urel patted his leg, and Brutus gamboled to his side, pressing his muzzle into his outstretched hand. “Very well. Looks like we have a new team member.”

  Melody watched Urel sneak through the trees with Brutus before tying him to a tree stump. He then stopped by a bare patch of ground.

  “There’s nothing there,” said Melody.

  “Comms posts are hidden in the ground,” said Lazet.

  “He’s clever,” said Melody. “And taking a big risk to get us out of here.”

  “Urel’s a genius,” said Lazet, “and devoted to the cause we’re fighting for.”

  “What happens once we get out of here?” asked Melody. “Are we going to be fighting for this cause as well?”

  Lazet nodded. “And we become fugitives. We’ve gone against the Fraken, my own kind, and the orders of our Elders. There’s no going back from that.”

  ***

  Lazet looked at Melody and was surprised to see her appear calm and assured. “How does being a fugitive sound to you?”

  “You’ve probably guessed that I’m not good at following orders and sticking to laws,” said Melody. “Being a fugitive doesn’t sound so bad.”

  “It won’t be easy,” said Lazet. “Axen is making plans, but I don’t know how far along he’s gotten. But there will be a safe place for us to stay.”

  “For both of us?”

  “Of course,” said Lazet. “Or did you have other plans?” A sliver of worry ran through him. He hadn’t thought about what Melody would do after she left the game. She might not want to join the fight with him and had someone on Earth waiting for her. He didn’t like the idea of Melody being with anyone else. He wanted her as his own.

  “Well, I have my mom on Earth. I need to help her. And my animals, I need to make sure they’re okay. I paid my neighbor to look out for them and get as many as possible rehomed, but I still worry about them.”

  “I’ve said before, we can help your mom when we get out,” said Lazet. “Not sure about the animals, though.”

  Melody looked at the ground. “Mom is too far gone for help, but I want to make sure her final days are comfortable. The animals will need protecting. They’ve been abandoned once before, and I’m not going to do it to them again.”

  “You can’t bring a mess of weakened animals into this.”

  “I’m not planning to.” Melody shook her head. “I have someone who will help me. But she’ll need to be paid more, and I might need to visit her. I can’t expect her to spend her e-credits on dog kibble and straw for the rest of her days.”

  “E-credits I can manage. The visit I’m not so sure about.”

  “I’m not asking you to pay for any of this,” said Melody. “And if I can’t get to Earth, I’ll need to make contact, at least, and make sure things are going well.”

  “I’m offering to pay,” said Lazet. “And I can help you link up with your friend on Earth.”

  Melody’s eyes widened. “You don’t have to.”

  “I do. If we’re together in this, I want to make sure something as smal
l as e-credits isn’t worrying you. Your mangy beasts will be provided for.”

  “None of them are mangy,” said Melody. “And they all smell sweeter than we do right now.” She plucked at her torn, grubby clothes.

  “You do need a wash.”

  Melody shoved Lazet and then smiled. “So long as there’s somewhere I can sleep and a change of clothes, I’ll be happy. Anywhere will be better than this.”

  Lazet frowned. It wasn’t quite the response he’d hoped for. He wanted Melody with him, not tagging along in the background, looking for a new opportunity that would take her away. “Axen’s mate insisted you join us in this fight.”

  “You mean Eloise. She’s more than just a mate to your enormous warrior buddy.”

  “That’s the one.” Lazet grinned. “And she seems very happy with her new position. The two of them could barely keep their hands off each other when we were speaking.”

  Melody laughed and traced a finger along Lazet’s arm. “I can see some of the benefits of being with a Vorten warrior.”

  Lazet growled and brought her closer to him. “Don’t distract me. We need to look out for Urel and make sure no Fraken are creeping up on him.”

  Melody nodded and stepped away. “I didn’t realize I was so distracting.”

  “You have no idea.” Lazet’s gaze scanned the area, but everything was quiet, almost too quiet. The Fraken must be able to see what Urel was doing.

  “Urel is making the comms link work.” Melody pointed across the clearing to a thin silver colored pole that slid from the ground.

  “Told you he was a genius,” said Lazet. “Once that’s active, Axen can lock onto our signal and get us out.”

  Melody bounced on her toes. “We’re almost free?”

  Lazet smiled at her. “Any second now, we’re getting out of here.”

  Chapter 24

  Melody fought the anxiety coursing through her. Lazet was so confident that they were going to get out of this game. He completely trusted Axen and seemed content to watch Urel do whatever it was he needed to at the comms link. For all they knew, Urel could be sending a message to the Fraken, telling them to come and kill them before they escaped.