by Hope Hart
I shiver. Surely he wouldn’t leave me. Right?
I stop struggling as the Zintas turn so that I’m facing the hill, and I scowl at Aroth as he slowly makes his way down the grassy incline.
“You have cost me a lot of credits and time,” he says once he’s a few feet away. “When the Voildi did not bring you to me as agreed, I went to their lair and killed many of them until they swore they would fulfill their side of the bargain.”
I sneer at him. “You’d think you’d see it as a sign that you should move on with your life. This will end badly for you.”
Aroth laughs. “You know what I like about you, Flame Hair?” I flinch at the reminder of Vrex’s nickname for me, and Aroth reaches out to touch my hair.
I jerk my head back, and he laughs again.
“Your species is weak. You have no weapons and are smaller than most of our children. And yet you talk as if you are stronger and faster than all of us combined. Fascinating.”
Yeah, yeah, I have a big mouth. Since he enjoys it so much, I clamp it shut, glaring at him. He lowers his head, studying me from beneath thick eyebrows. “We have not seen creatures like you on our side of the Great Water. You will provide wealth for our children’s children’s children.”
I bite my tongue. “Pretend inferiority and encourage his arrogance.” I can see my dad, sitting next to my bed and grinning at me above his book. He’d expect me to be smart about this.
Aroth seems to lose interest, turning away and ordering his men to get ready.
Where are you, Vrex?
I still have my knife, but I’m not an idiot. I’m not going to be able to take down all of these guys with a knife shorter than their forearms.
“He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.”
I just have to hold on. Vrex will find me, and in the meantime, I’ll wait for my chance. They’ve already proven that they underestimate me.
“He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared.”
I study the Zintas’ every movement as they prepare the boat. They pull up the anchor, and then they’re gesturing us forward.
I dig in my heels, but one of the Zintas just picks me up, holding me in front of him with his arms wrapped around me, trapping my arms down by my sides.
My throat feels like it’s closing up as my heart races. I really don’t want to get on that decrepit boat. In fact, I’m coming perilously close to begging.
The Zinta passes me up onto the boat and sits down before placing me next to him, his hand clamped around my upper arm tightly enough to bruise. My gaze flicks from the boat to the rocky shore, to the Zintas, and back again as I concoct and discard one escape attempt after another.
“Move,” one of the Zintas suddenly roars, and I turn my head as Aroth strides through the shallow water and climbs onto the boat. My heart stops as I gaze up the hill to where Vrex is sitting on Nari, his sword in his hand as she gallops down the hill, feet scrambling for purchase on the stones.
I punch the Zinta holding me in the face, and he growls, reaching to grab my free arm. His hand is like a vise wrapped around my bicep, and he simply pulls me closer as I kick out at him.
“Ivy!”
We’re pulling away from the shore, but determination is clear on Vrex’s face as he jumps from Nari’s back and sprints toward us.
Aroth turns from where he’s sitting at the end of the boat and screams at his men, who paddle faster. Vrex splashes through the water, teeth bared as his eyes lock on my face.
Aroth kicks one of his men off the boat, then reaches out and pushes off another one.
“Kill him,” he demands.
The Zintas splash into the water, and we’re now deep enough that it’s is almost up to their chests. Aroth doesn’t expect them to kill Vrex, I realize. He’s just hoping they’ll slow him down long enough for us to get out of here.
Vrex kills the Zintas in the blink of an eye, but it’s still too late. He roars, the anguish clear on his face as he attempts to get to our boat only to sink beneath the water. He flounders, and terror makes my mouth dry. He can’t swim.
“Stop, Vrex! Please!” I beg as he comes up, gasping for air. He’s going to drown, but he doesn’t listen, and I choke on a sob as Aroth screams louder at his men and we float further and further away.
Chapter Ten
Vrex
I…failed.
Of course you did, my uncle sneers in my head. Did you expect otherwise?
No. I just need to get across this water. I know no one with this ability. But that does not mean that I can’t find someone.
Ivy is a survivor. If there is one thing I’ve learned about my little Flame Hair, it’s that she will never give up.
The Zintas may think that they have won. But Ivy will fight. And when I find her, they will wish they had never been born.
I haul myself onto Nari’s back, and she charges up the hill. We travel for hours until we’re finally approaching Rakiz’s camp. Nari is exhausted, and I feel half dead, desperate for water, by the time I arrive.
Rakiz’s sentry stops me before I get close enough to see the camp walls.
“I need to see Rakiz,” I tell him. “He owes me a favor.”
The sentry’s eyes widen as he realizes who I am, and then he nods, allowing me to pass. This is repeated with four more sentries, and I raise my eyebrows as I find Rakiz waiting for me.
“Your security is impressive,” I say as he crosses his arms, leaning against the camp wall as if he could not care less that I have arrived with no warning. The look in his eyes is hard, however.
“My queen insisted that we make some…adjustments,” he says, and his eyes warm as the female—Nevada—approaches. He wraps his arm around her and nods as my eyes drop to the slight bump of her stomach.
“We have been blessed by the gods,” he says softly, sliding his hand along her stomach.
She elbows him with a laugh. “That’s one way to put it. I wasn’t feeling all that blessed when I couldn’t eat my breakfast this morning.”
Her tone is light, but it’s obvious that the tribe king and queen are filled with joy. Envy hits me like a punch to the gut.
“Congratulations.”
“Thanks,” Nevada says as Rakiz nods at me. “Sooo, where’s Ivy?”
“That’s why I’m here. I need help.”
Rakiz stares at me for a moment, openmouthed. “I had never thought I would hear those words from your lips,” he says.
“I never imagined I would say them.”
Rakiz gestures for one of his men to take Nari to eat and rest, and then I follow him and Nevada to their tashiv, ignoring the eyes on me.
The female who steps into the main room stares at me curiously, and Nevada smiles at her.
“Arana, would you mind bringing some food and water for our…guest?”
She nods and sends me a smile, and Rakiz gestures for me to sit before being seated himself. He pulls Nevada close, and she sits on his knee, resting her head against his as she gazes at me.
“Is Ivy okay?” she asks, her voice serious.
“She has been taken.” I almost choke on the last word, getting to my feet to pace.
“Why don’t you tell us what happened?”
I feel time running through my fingers like water. Where is Ivy now? Is she okay? Are they hurting her?
“Vrex.” Rakiz interrupts my thoughts. “Start at the beginning. When did you find Ivy?”
I race through the events of the past days, stumbling over Ilax’s murder. I push away the memory of the hurt look in my little Flame Hair’s eyes when she learned that I had been sent to find her.
I will find her once more. And then I will never lose her again.
Distantly, I realize that I am falling apart. My hands clench and unclench as I tell Rakiz of the Zintas and the contraption they used to cross the Great Water.
“They had a boat?” Nevada gets to her feet. “How did I not know that people had boats on
this planet?”
Rakiz reaches for her hand, stroking his thumb along her palm. “I know of one male who has attempted to build similar contraptions,” he says to me. “But he is a member of Thane’s tribe.”
“Thane? His camp is not next to the Great Water.”
“No, but Thane has given this male permission to live next to the Great Water while still being under the protection of his tribe. He is hoping to be able to cross the Great Water and trade, just as the Zintas have been doing.”
I nod. “We must leave.”
Rakiz raises one eyebrow. “We?”
I nod again. “I am calling in my favors.”
“Which favors?”
I narrow my eyes at him. What use are my favors if my little Flame Hair is in danger?
“All of them.”
Ivy
I stare at the town in front of me as the Zintas drag the boat onto the shore.
And it is a town. The buildings are several stories high in places, and while some are similar to the wooden buildings in Sebe, many of them also seem to be made from some kind of brick.
We only sailed for a few hours, so I’m assuming that we’ve either crossed a lake or traveled from the tip of one continent to another. But wherever we are now, it’s different from anywhere I’ve been on Agron so far.
The Zinta grabs me, pulling me onto the shore, and I stare at the dock a few hundred feet away. A larger boat—one similar to what I’ve seen in fishing villages on Earth—is currently docking. An alien with four arms steps forward to help with a fishing net.
I blink, stunned. It makes sense, of course. Even on Earth, some countries are more developed than others. But I’m still struck by the hustle and bustle of this place compared to the area where our spaceship crashed.
“Move, human.” The Zinta pulls me after him, and I whip my head from side to side as we leave the dock and move through the town. Several Zintas stay behind and begin unloading the boat, and I scan the area. I need to get back here and steal that boat at the first opportunity.
The Zintas seem more relaxed here, although they travel in a tight group, their voices low as they joke with one another.
We walk down a narrow street, and I stare at the people around me. They’re living their lives, not at all surprised to see a group of Zintas “escorting” a strange alien woman through the streets. I lock eyes with a woman who looks similar to a Braxian female, only she has purple skin. Her brow lowers as she sends me a sympathetic look, and then she skedaddles out of the way before she’s pushed aside.
A few minutes later, one of the Zintas moves ahead and unlocks a huge wooden door. It swings open, and my eyes slowly adjust to the dim light.
Inside, the building is larger than it appeared from outside. Most of the Zintas disappear through a door to the left, while Aroth gestures to the Zinta holding me.
“Clean her up and then put her in the hole. We will sell her tomorrow.”
I grind my teeth, wishing I could wipe the smug look off the furry bastard’s face.
Patience, Ivy. Wait for the right time.
The Zinta drags me into what I’m assuming passes for a bathroom. “Wait here.”
I use the facilities while he leaves, locking the door behind him. When he returns with a bucket of water and a small rag, I wipe my face and limbs, unwilling to take off my clothes while he’s watching.
He seems unconcerned, and he simply reaches out when I’m finished. I flinch as his hand wraps around my arm once again. That arm is going to be covered in bruises.
He leads me through another room, which is currently empty, but from the low armchairs, it seems like some kind of living room. I raise my eyebrow as he opens a door, and then he’s dragging me toward a hole in the ground.
A heavy metal grate sits next to it, with a bunch of huge rocks likely used to keep the grate in place.
Oh, hell no.
I forget about my plan to pretend to be compliant. I forget about waiting for the right moment and not letting them see I can fight.
I forget everything as I stare at the hole. I punch the Zinta in the face, following it up with a kick to the balls as he folds.
Huge arms come around me, picking me up like I’m a sack of flour.
“Enough,” Aroth growls. “You will either hold onto the rope and be lowered down or I will throw you down and listen to your bones as they snap.”
I freeze. My tunic is riding up, and if I’m not careful, these guys will see the knife I’ve worked so hard to hide.
My eyes dart, but I’m surrounded.
“Fine,” I croak out, and Aroth gestures to the Zinta that was holding me.
“Get the rope.”
My eyes sting as they lower me down, but I won’t let them see me cry. I let go of the rope when I’m on the ground, and they pull it up before slamming the metal grate closed.
I stare up at the grate as their footsteps fade away. I’m guessing I’m about twelve or thirteen feet down, and from the look of the smooth walls, getting out of here is going to be a bitch.
I sit on a rock, which has been pushed up against the wall. There’s a rust-colored stain on one half of it, and I can’t even let myself think about who else has been held down here and what happened to them.
I feel painfully, achingly alone, and I let my head fall back against the wall as I picture the look of retribution on Vrex’s face as he struggled to get to me. He came for me. He would’ve gotten to me too if they’d taken just a little longer to load that boat.
“You deserve the silent treatment,” I told him. “You let me think that you just so happened to be close by, and you decided to help me because you were a good man.”
What is wrong with me?
Vrex didn’t deserve that. Even if he was sent to find me, he still saved me, still helped me over and over again. I wasn’t mad because he was sent for me. I was mad because he didn’t tell me. Because I wanted to be someone he wanted to be around. Just like he is for me.
He is a good man. The kind of man who looks after an old man in the forest. The kind of man who makes shoes for a stranger because her feet are cut up. And the kind of man who almost drowned attempting to save me on the shore.
I’ve been abducted, kidnapped, and kidnapped again. By now, it’s likely that I’ve lost my career, and this planet has been one near-death experience after another. But amongst all the heartache and fear, I’ve known that as long as Vrex is around, I’ll be okay.
And as soon as I find a way out of this hole, I’m going to tell him that myself.
Vrex
It takes longer than I would like for messengers to travel to the tribe kings who owe me favors. I manage to sleep for a few hours but wake when my arms reach for Ivy to pull her close.
By the time the sun has risen, I’m pacing the kradi, and as soon as I hear the camp come to life, I head back to Rakiz’s tashiv.
He meets me outside. “Thane has replied. He’s more than happy to give you access to his subject in return for owing you one less favor.”
I nod, relief hitting me in a rush. “I will go there now.”
Rakiz examines me. “We will go with you. Dexar has also replied, and he says he knows of Thane’s water-obsessed subject and his location. He will meet us there.”
I nod. “Thank you.”
All this time, I thought I was saving my favors as leverage. That they would ensure that I could be left to live my life alone. But fate had other ideas. I was saving them so that I could use them to help my little Flame Hair.
Although, I will not be at all surprised if she has already freed herself and is waiting on the shore across the Great Water, tapping one of her small feet impatiently.
My lips curl slightly at the thought, and Rakiz raises one eyebrow. He opens his mouth, but the door to his tashiv opens, Nevada striding out.
“I’m coming with you.”
From the look on Rakiz’s face, this is the last thing he wants, and I turn away, watching as Rakiz’s warriors
saddle their mishua for the trip to the Great Water.
Nevada and Rakiz are hissing at each other in low voices, but from the sound of Rakiz’s deep sigh and Nevada’s throaty laugh, it’s evident that she has won their argument.
I turn back as Rakiz growls. “You will not place yourself in danger at any time.”
Nevada nods, taking his hand and placing it over her lower stomach. “I’d never risk our baby,” she murmurs. “But I want to be there for Ivy too.”
I glance away, unwilling to break up their intimate moment. I think of our plan along with all the things that could go wrong.
The entire plan hinges on the actions of one reportedly insane male who lives close to the Great Water.
“We are ready,” Rakiz says, drawing me from my thoughts. “Let’s go find your female.”
Chapter Eleven
Ivy
I shiver in the hole all night. After hours of attempting to keep myself warm and after I almost go hoarse screaming that I need the bathroom, the Zintas finally drop down a rope. I’m hoping that I’ll get an opportunity to escape, but the same Zinta who attended me earlier wraps his huge hand around my arm as soon as the rope clears the top of the hole. He escorts me to the tiny, windowless room that passes as a bathroom before locking me inside while I do my business.
I use the same bucket of water to wash my hands and then I search for anything I can use for a weapon.
“Ivy. Ivy. Ivy.”
My mouth drops open as the sound of clashing reaches my ears. Someone is roaring, and I pound on the door, slamming my fists against it as I attempt to break it down.
“Vrex?”
The door opens, but it’s the Zinta who grabs me and pulls me through the large sitting room, which is covered in blood. Red stains the floor and the walls, and I twist in the Zinta’s hold, almost tripping over multiple bodies along the way. The Zinta hauls me back outside, and I freeze.
“Vrex!”
They have him surrounded, and he lunges toward me. The scuffle is short, but within moments, they’re pushing him down the hole, and I choke out a sob as I hear him land with a muffled groan.
