The Melier: Home World (Women of Dor Nye Book 2)

by Poppy Rhys

  Gi’Ren grunted and Lucia decided to take that as a ‘yes’, even though she had no idea. He could be constipated for all she knew.

  He does love cheese.

  “Your mate says-”

  Two growls greeted him and Gi’Ren shrugged a shoulder.

  Lucia smiled her thanks to Ren when suddenly, a blaring alarm shrieked throughout the palace.

  The instrumentalists squeaked to a stop and a flutter of panic rippled through the crowd on a wave. Before she even knew what was happening, Val’Koy reappeared to haul her up, and Ren was cradling Lenny to his chest. Her mind was racing as she was trying to figure out what was going on. The power was still on and uninterrupted, but the loud alarm was thundering throughout the palace.

  Lucia’s head whipped this way and that as her hands clutched at Val’Koy’s neck, and all she saw was chaos.

  Energy beams were singing through the air from half the exits and guests were screaming and hollering.

  Her eyes caught sight of the Zacva male from the previous day gurgling green blood before his body dropped to the floor, and then Val’Zun, Gi’Ren, and Soren were surrounding them as they pushed through the crowd of guests running amuck.

  “What’s going on?” she panicked as they exited to a hallway and began running. She held on tighter to keep from being jostled in Val’Koy’s arms.

  “Hush Loo-Sha,” Soren murmured but his voice was strained, his eyes alert and scanning while him and Zun guided their small group. A high pitched roar split the air just then and the familiar, sickening despair she thought she’d never feel again sung up her spine and had her clawing at Val’Koy’s neck.

  Her breath couldn’t come fast enough, and she began to hyperventilate.

  Trepnils.

  Just as the thought entered her mind, two stepped into their path; drooling, scaled snouts filled and ready with their many needle-like teeth for shredding. The scream she could no longer hold back ripped from her lungs, and Val’Koy shoved a hand over her mouth.

  In the next blink, Soren and Zun were upon the Treps, and the clamoring that bounced off the walls through the corridor vibrated through her ears and made her dizzy. Re’Len’s fearful cries joined in while Gi’Ren stood directly beside Val’Koy, breathing like he’d just run a marathon.

  Zun was bleeding from one of his left arms where talons had ripped his skin, but it was like he didn’t even feel it. If anything, it made him attack with a fierceness that made Lucia’s jittering worsen. His claws were long, deadly, and slashing and stabbing with precision and the intent to kill. Black Trep blood spurted the walls around him and he kept besting the enemy.

  When he turned to run, Zun leapt his back, planting his feet along the Treps spine as it went down. Pulling upward on his snout with a roar, a sickening pop met her ears as Zun snapped the ugly creatures back.

  When she turned her gaze to Soren, she couldn’t look away as his jaw extended, and he chomped down on the Treps neck, sinking in, and then ripping, pulling away with a mangled mash of skin, scales, and tendons. The Trep sunk to his knees as the large chunk of flesh fell from Soren’s mouth and plopped on the ground beside the corpse.

  She was grateful for Val’Koy’s clamped hand on her mouth as she squeezed her eyes shut and willed herself to not heave.

  “How did they get in?” Gi’Ren roared above Lenny’s cries and just as they were about to continue their trek to wherever her mates were guiding them, more Treps filtered in.

  Soren and Zun were back to fighting, and then even more showed up. Val’Koy set her down and told her to stay while Ren put Lenny in her arms. They both joined their brothers in the bloody, noisy brawl.

  Too many.

  Run.

  Her panic was suffocating as she struggled to make sense of it all and pull her gaze away from the battle. If any of the Treps got past them…

  No, she couldn’t let that happen. She had Lenny to worry about now, and she had no weapons of any kind to fend them off; natural or manmade.

  Holding the babe tightly, Lucia turned and ran.

  The terrible, grating screeches of the Trepnils and the roaring of the princes got smaller and smaller with each corner she took until all she could hear in her ears were the wails of Lenny, and her own blood whooshing. She slowed, trying to reel in her mind and recognize where she may be.

  The gardens. This was the hallway that led to the gardens. She knew where she was now.

  Again she continued her path, positive she could find somewhere to hide in the gardens until it was safe. When she rounded a corner, she almost collided with the queen. Her head whipped around, looking for the guard that always followed her about but there were none.

  The queen stopped momentarily, and then her lip curled as she started back the way Lucia had just come.

  “Wait!” she held up her hand. “Don’t go that way. There’s too many!”

  “I will go where I please, beast,” she sneered, but Lu wasn’t paying attention to that.

  Behind the queen, a large Trep was rounding a corner and heading straight for them. For a few precious seconds, she watched him get closer while her mind tried to wake her up and tell her to do something.

  First breath.

  Lucia’s eyes swept to the small, heavy stone statue in the alcove of the wall beside her.

  Second breath.

  Her fingers curled around its base, and she pulled back her arm.

  Third breath.

  Queen Gi’Moy’s eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at Lucia.

  Fourth breath.

  She aimed loosely, exhaled, and then threw with every ounce of strength she could muster in her unbalanced state while she clutched Lenny to her chest and tried not to drop the youngling.

  Fifth breath.

  The small statue hurled past Gi’Moy’s stunned face and hit the Trepnil square in his sensitive, soft fleshed eye. He was too focused on the queen to notice what was flying at him.

  The screech and howl of pain the monster emitted snapped Gi’Moy from her frozen state and she finally noticed the Trep behind her

  “This way!” Lucia beckoned her and turned to run. She was trying to sooth and shush Lenny’s cries while paying attention to the turns she was taking when another Trep stepped in front of her.

  Her feet skid to a stop and she nearly fell, putting out her hand against the wall to help steady her body. She began to back away, but the Treps blaster went off as Gi’Moy bolted from behind her and rammed into the intruders side.

  She hadn’t even really been sure the queen decided to follow her.

  The blue beam sung through the air and missed its original target of Lu’s face, instead searing through the flesh of her right thigh. She clutched Lenny to her chest tighter than she meant to as the misery filtered through every possible neuron in her system.

  A strangled scream erupted from her lungs and she sagged against the wall as the pressure to put weight on her right leg was just too much.

  Gi’Moy’s knife like claws tore out the Treps throat and she wrestled the blaster from his talons. The queen looked around once and then signalled for Lucia to follow her.

  Adrenaline ushered her, but she was much slower than a few minutes prior. Every step she took, an aching twinge wound up her body, jolting her brain and making her sweat with the effort to just keep moving.

  The white dress held a singed, black streaked tear, as if she’d stood too close to a hot iron bar. Dark red blood stained down the length of it, and she felt the sticky warmth in her slipper coating her heel.

  Gi’Moy was a few lengths ahead of her as they reached the garden and Lucia wiped at the sweat beading her forehead that only worsened as they trekked through the heat of the evening. Just as she was about to slip into an alcove to hunker down and wait for everything to calm, the queen was snarling her displeasure.

  “Give me the youngling,” she said impatiently, which only made Lucia pause and clutch Lenny closer. “You are too slow with that wound. You will move fa
ster if I hold her.”

  “Where are you taking us?”

  “To a safe place, but you will not make it if you do not hand over the youngling.”

  She breathed heavily, as did the queen while they stared at each other in the darkness. The seconds ticked by and she still wasn’t sure if she wanted to hand Lenny over. How was she to know if the queen wasn’t lying and planned on killing them both? With the Treps attacking, Gi’Moy could blame their deaths on those things. No one would think to not believe their queen, and even if they did find it suspicious, there would be no proof.

  But she didn’t see any other options left except to trust Gi’Moy’s word. If she did stay in the garden so close to the palace, she risked the Treps scenting her. If no one came, she could eventually bleed out, die of infection or thirst in the heat, essentially sentencing Lenny to death right along with her.

  Any way she cut it, she and the babe were going to die, but there was a small chance of survival if the queen was telling the truth.

  Lucia kissed the fussy babes forehead and placed her in Gi’Moy’s arms.

  “Okay,” she whispered, determined to make her body cooperate as the queen turned and led the way. She could tell the queen was moving much slower to allow a wounded human to keep up with her, and she was silently thankful.

  The night grew darker and they were soon passing through a hidden gate at the back of the gardens and stepping into the nearly black forest. Lucia could barely see anything with her human sight, even once her eyes adjusted to the darker atmosphere.

  Many times she tripped on tree roots which only seemed to weaken her despite the adrenaline she still felt wearing out her veins. Sweat dropped from her chin and moistened her body, causing her dirtied dress to cling like a restricting bag about her form.

  Noises from the beasts roaming the night creeped around them, and while she was afraid of what was lurking and could no doubt smell her blood, she was more worried about the queen holding her youngling and how badly this entire situation could turn.

  More so than it already had, anyway.

  “We are almost there,” Gi’Moy whispered into the night.

  It already felt like they’d been traveling hours, even though Lucia knew that was impossible. It was most likely her fear soaked mind stretching time and swirling with thoughts of impending death, and worry for her mates, and the rest of the royal family.

  I just left them there.

  She sucked in a breath, determined to make the stinging of her throat die down.

  A hand swiped under her chin, coming away wet as she nearly walked into Gi’Moy who had stopped. She was only a shadow and Lu hadn’t even heard her cease moving.

  Lenny was silent, which scared and relieved her. If there was wailing on top of the scent of her blood, it wouldn’t just be the Treps they’d have to worry about, but every nocturnal predator she only imagined roamed the forests.

  Slight rustling of leaves pierced the silence and then Gi’Moy was ushering Lucia into the face of a stone wall. Before she could protest, she went through the rock and stood in a dank hallway.

  She sighed.

  Another holographic projection.

  She didn’t think she would ever get used to fake walls and doors. Gi’Moy once again stepped around her and a whirring filtered to her ears, followed by a gust of musty, cool air that hit her as a yellow light outlined a door in the bumpy stone wall. It lifted with a swish and they were stepping inside.

  The dim yellow lights began to rise in intensity until the cavern was completely lit. It was literally a retrofitted cave. The walls were corrugated and nothing hung on them; only certain holes were drilled for the pocketed lights around. Doors led off the main cavern to other rooms, she assumed and a small, open kitchen sat to the left of the main area.

  The door sealed shut behind her and Gi’Moy typed in a code on the number panel beside it, locking them in. That’s when she held out her arms to accept Lenny, but the queen brushed past her instead.

  “You will need rest, and that wound cleaned before ookla insects scent the blood,” she said as she set Lenny on a large cushion, causing Lu to grimace at the idea of more alien bugs. Gi’Moy disappeared momentarily only to return with a bowl of hot water and supplies. “Sit.”

  Her eyes swept from the queen to Lenny and then back. She wanted to tell the queen she was fine, but her body was weakening without the adrenaline keeping her going any longer. Breathing heavily, she dragged herself to a chair and lowered with a wince.

  “The wound is not deep, that is good,” the queen said stiffly and pulled up a chair beside Lu. “The blood is dark, which is good too.”

  She had no idea what that even meant, but she took the queens word for it. Again her eyes went to Lenny.

  “She will be fine,” Gi’Moy said, annoyed while she lifted Lucia’s dress up over the wound and began to clean it.

  She wasn’t sure what to say, seeing the queen dip the clean cloth into the warm water. The pain of the liquid hitting the wound made Lucia sag in the chair even more, and bite her lip so she wouldn’t make any noise.

  “The wound has been partially cauterized by the energy beam.”

  That doesn’t make it hurt any less!

  Gi’Moy began stuffing the wound with some sort of foul smelling ointment that made Lucia gag and cover her mouth. The stench of rotting flesh twisted her guts and had her stomach muscles shivering with need to clench and expel.

  Don’t vomit, don’t vomit.

  “It may smell awful,” she said, still in that irritated tone. “But it will heal you fast. Your flesh is weak.”

  “I am thankful for your help, but I would appreciate it if you saved the insults until after.”

  She grunted.

  Maybe that’s where the brothers got it.

  By the time Gi’Moy wrapped another cloth around her thigh and tied it off, Lucia’s stomach was flip flopping, making her dizzy, and her breathing was even more labored as she tried to ignore the stench.

  A noise had both of them stilling, their breathing nearly dying off completely.

  Chuff. Chuff, chirp, chirp.

  Gi’Moy groaned and went to the door, pressing in the code again and it slid up for a few seconds, allowing the white fluff of MoMo to zoom past her and chuff up at Lucia as he circled her chair, chirping happily and licking the air.

  “Oh MoMo,” she sighed, a relief flooding her that the silly pet was alive.

  “Traitorous creature,” the queen grumbled, sliding the door shut again while Lucia smiled down at MoMo, letting her hand fall to pet him and show she was okay.

  “He probably followed your scent here,” she groused. “Which means others can as well.”

  She was still surprised the queen was this talkative. It was the most she’d spoken to her directly, and she knew it was probably because there was no one else around.

  “Where is ‘here’?”

  “It is an outdated safe location. I have not been here since I was a youngling.”

  She watched as Gi’Moy began walking around the cavern, touching things and getting reacquainted with the place. The silence continued when MoMo stopped his chuffing and stood guard beside Lenny as she slept on the cushion.

  As her mind was known to do, it wandered back to her worry of the princes.

  Was it stupid of her to have run away from them? Were they safe? A lump choked her throat at the thought of them being overtaken by the Trepnils.

  Why are they even here?

  More secrets.

  They shouldn’t have been able to get planet side.

  No Trepnils had been allowed planet side in over eight years, since the war. She had learned that much during her time there, and in her own research. It was part of the peace treaty between their people.

  “How did the Trepnils get onto Melierun?” she whispered.

  “We are at war,” the queen said, shaking her head like Lucia was asking a nonsensical question.

  Her brows knit together in
confusion.

  “But the war ended years ago. I don’t understand.”

  Gi’Moy regarded her with suspicion, and then shook her head once more. “My sons hide things from their mate.”

  Lucia’s stomach dropped as she realized how true that was. How could they not tell her they were at war again? She didn’t doubt they could protect her, but she was part of them. Partners were supposed to tell each other things, be honest and open.

  She tried to go over things in her mind, replay the past few months to maybe recall something she had missed, but nothing was coming forth. If they had hinted at a war, she never noticed. They certainly had never told her because that was something she most definitely would’ve remembered. Lu wasn’t sure what she could’ve done to help, though she would have at least tried.

  “Why?”

  “They want Val’Ja for killing Ta’Ra’Enn,” she growled. “They most likely have him by now, if he is not dead.”

  With the rotting stink of the ointment already rolling her stomach, the thought of the Treps killing Soren gave Lucia the last push her gut needed, and she bent forward and hurled into the bowl with the soiled cloth and water that had been used to clean her wound. Her chest shuddered as she sucked back breath after breath, her hand coming up to wipe the spittle dribbling from her lips.

  Pull yourself together girl.

  Breathe.

  “We have to find out,” Lucia babbled and looked around for something to communicate. “Are there any CIDs here? Or comms of any kind?”

  “Settle yourself,” she admonished. “Everything is jammed, and the equipment in this cavern is at least two decades outdated, if it is still working at all.”

  She should’ve known. Treps always shielded any communication except their own. Without communication, it was much easier to overtake ships. It was exactly how she’d been unable to comm her crew the last time she was willingly aboard a Trep ship, so of course they would use it when invading a planet.

  Imagine the loss of life.

  “How long will it take the guard to find us here?”

  Gi’Moy made a noncommittal sound. “It would depend on how severe the invasion is. My guards were killed before I got to a safe room in the palace. This cavern is probably the last place they will look whenever a search happens, if one does.”