by Hope Hart
“What are you thinking?”
I glance at Tagiz, his words still on repeat in my mind.
“I looked into your eyes, and all I could think was ‘finally, I found her.’”
If that’s true, why doesn’t he want me and only me?
I bet Mom wondered the same damn thing.
The thought makes my chest ache. Am I just repeating history?
I turn back at Sarissa and Vivian, who have their blonde heads so close together they’re almost touching as they read over the information Alexis gave them.
“I’m feeling a little jealous,” I admit. “I always wished I had siblings. I’d give anything to have family on this planet. Or someone I was friends with on Earth.”
Tagiz studies me. “What about the other human females?”
I smile. “They’re great, don’t get me wrong. Nevada saved my life, and Ivy was the one who gave me the strength to get through that lonely time in the cage without her. But…I’ve been stuck in the healers’ kradi while everyone else has been actually making a difference. It’s hard not to feel a little left out sometimes.”
Tagiz narrows his eyes at me, and I smile.
“It’s okay. It’ll come with time.”
“Is that why you insist on doing these things? Coming across the Colossal Water and leaving the safety of the camp after an attack?”
I scowl at him, but for once he’s not attempting to convince me to stay behind. He seems genuinely curious.
“I’ve always been someone who couldn’t stand to see people in pain. It sometimes felt like I was the one physically hurting when I was a kid. I managed to get control of that when I was studying, but I’m still driven to help. I believe I was given a gift. I’m calm under pressure. I don’t fall apart. And I can multitask better than most people. They’re all skills that are in high demand for nursing—especially trauma nursing. I can’t leave people to suffer when I know I can help, Tagiz. It’s not in me.”
Tagiz leans forward, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “I…understand. Asking you not to help is like asking me not to fight. You feel it is your calling.”
I nod, and he sits back, studying me.
“But what about this trip?”
I scan his face for judgment or annoyance, but he still seems genuinely curious.
“I’m also not the kind of person who is happy just sitting behind. I want these guys to pay. I want the Grivath to pay for abducting us, I want the Dokhalls to pay for buying us—and for breaking my ribs—and I want the Zintas to pay for working with them.” I shrug. “I’m not used to feeling this way. Like I want to see someone suffer. And maybe when it comes down to it, I won’t be able to witness it. But for now, I think I should get to make that decision for myself and choose what I feel I can handle. Don’t you?”
The question is more rhetorical than anything else, but Tagiz angles his head. This is something I love about him. When I’m with him, he gives me 100 percent of his attention. He doesn’t ever provide flippant answers or brush me off. If I ask him a question, even something simple, he always gives the answer careful consideration.
“Yes,” he says finally, and to my surprise, he throws his arm around my shoulders and pulls me close. “I do.”
I give in to my instincts and snuggle close, inhaling his warm, masculine scent. Within a few minutes, we’re almost at the shore, and Yalex gives orders as we dock.
We leave him with the boat, and I turn, surveying the town.
I’ve heard all about it, of course. In fact, I’ve made Vivian, Ivy, and Charlie all tell me every detail they could…multiple times.
But still, I was somehow unprepared to see an actual town.
“Pretty amazing, huh?” Vivian smiles at me.
“That’s one word for it.” I’ve spent so much time in the camp that the sights, sounds, and smells of this place feel like an assault.
And yet I feel like I could stand here on this dock for hours. Just…watching.
Fishermen are bringing in nets of fish along with a few other creatures, one of which has gold scales and huge teeth and looks like a cross between an octopus and a shark. I shudder, turning my attention to the busy cobbled street in front of us.
Tagiz, Jozet, and Hewex seem to know where they’re going, surrounding us as we walk together. The buildings are so close together they remind me of photos I’ve seen of Amsterdam. While many of them seem shabby and worn, several are multiple stories high.
I stop and stare up at a collection of bright flower boxes on a balcony. A woman with gray skin and bright-orange hair is watering her flowers, and she raises one eyebrow as our gazes meet.
I smile at her and glance away. Great, now I’m the weird creeper staring at people who are just going about their business.
Tagiz takes my elbow as I almost walk into a guy carrying a cage full of animals that look similar to chickens. He must be eight or nine feet tall, and his long arms wrap around the huge cage, making it look effortless.
“Zoey.” Tagiz’s voice is amused as I stumble. “Pay attention.”
I grin at him. “I can’t help it. You’ve been here before. I barely got to travel on Earth.” I’ve only been to Canada once with Mom before she died. “This is like something out of a movie.”
Tagiz’s dark eyes search my face. “I don’t know what a movie is, but I am…glad you are enjoying yourself.”
He tucks me close and acts as my shield, keeping me on the right path while preventing me from running into anyone.
I can smell some kind of nuts roasting, and a vendor calls out to us as we walk past, shaking a bag at me. Tagiz takes one look at my face and gestures to Hewex to stand close while he hands over a couple of coins before bringing the bag to us.
“Mmm,” Vivian says as we pass the bag amongst the three of us. “They’re spicy and sweet at the same time.”
While we’re acting like we’re wandering the streets of Europe, the warriors are examining anyone who gets too close.
“Okay.” Sarissa nods as we convince the warriors to let us examine a table holding gleaming silver knives. “I’m still not happy about the whole alien abduction thing, but I’m glad I’ll at least be able to tell my grandchildren about this place one day.”
Vivian elbows her. “Told you,” she says, and they both crack up. I smile, but my attention is currently focused on the four Braxians walking toward us. They’re dressed entirely in black and gold, and they seem more…groomed than the Braxians we see every day.
“We received word you had arrived,” one of them tells Tagiz. “We have been instructed to take you to the king.”
Ooh.
I know nothing about Arix—except that when Dragix almost died, and Charlie was falling apart in front of our eyes, Arix’s healers managed to save his life. They used something they called cava berries, and Moni’s eyes lit up when she was told about them.
I’m itching to learn more about them.
The one and only time I saw Arix was when we were in the healers’ kradi after the battle. Vivian and Dragix were recovering, and Arix offered his city as a place we could find help to fix our ship. Here’s my problem with that: we know nothing about the guy. He’s been ruling his territory on this planet this entire time, and yet the Braxians only just heard of him, the first time they made it across the water.
Plus, the way he looked at Vivian made it clear he wouldn’t be helping us out of the goodness of his heart.
The guards are still waiting, and I can’t help but examine their coal-black uniforms with the shiny bright-gold buttons and polished boots and the swords on their hips, the handles gleaming in the sun. They look nothing like the Braxians on our side of the water.
One of them runs his gaze over us all curiously, and then they murmur amongst themselves before leading us further down the street and to the right.
I gasp. If I thought the dock and the streets leading here were exciting, they have nothing on the castle. The first time I heard about this pla
ce, I made the other women tell me everything, describing it over and over. But nothing could have prepared me for the gleaming obsidian castle, its huge spires shooting into the sky in the distance.
The sight of it makes me shiver, and I’m once again reminded of how little I know about this planet. I thought it was all as undeveloped as our side of Agron. But if this medieval-looking town is just a few hours away by boat, could there be an even bigger city on another continent?
The guards have been waiting patiently for us as we stared down the hill at the castle. We follow them down the long street, and within a few minutes, we’re walking through wide black doors.
The temperature is much cooler in here. Sarissa surveys the huge entrance hall and then practically presses her nose against one of the walls as she examines the silver threads running through the black stone.
I glance up. And up. And up. High above us, as if suspended in the air, a network of corridors weave around one another like silver scarves. A long staircase leads up to those corridors, the white steps contrasting sharply with the black walls.
It feels like a cathedral, with the hushed silence that reminds me of a museum on Earth.
“This way,” one of the guards says, gesturing to the left, and we follow him through the doors to a throne room.
Natural light fills the space, pouring in from the huge windows on both sides of the large room. It’s empty, save for the Braxian king who sits on a polished black throne and another Braxian with burning silver eyes and a face like stone who stands beside him.
Arix doesn’t look at all surprised to see us. But he does look…pleased. In fact, his expression is perilously close to smug as his gaze slides past me and Sarissa and lands on Vivian.
“Hello, lovely,” he purrs.
Chapter Four
Zoey
Vivian stares at Arix, and trepidation, interest, and curiosity all cross her face before she settles on indifference.
But I know Vivian, and I can tell by the way her hand is smoothing her dress that she’s nervous.
I thought I would let her do the talking; after all, she’s the only one of us Arix seems to tolerate. But she’s clamming up, her gaze darting around the throne room.
I’ve never seen self-assured, controlled Vivian like this before. It’s like we’re in some kind of twilight zone. Sarissa obviously feels the same because she shoots her cousin a wide-eyed look before turning to address the king.
“When you came to Rakiz’s camp, you offered to help us fix our ship.”
He nods. “The offer still stands.”
The Braxian by his side shifts in obvious disapproval but keeps his mouth shut as he runs his eyes over each of us.
I glance at Hewex, and he pulls the cone-shaped device out of the canvas bag he’s carrying. Vivian takes it, and Arix watches her as she steps forward, displaying it to him. It reminds me of one of those plastic cones we put around our pets’ necks on Earth when we’ve had them fixed. Only, it’s made out of some kind of metal, and it has a long crack up one side.
“This is a piece of one of our thrusters,” Vivian says. “As you can see, it needs to be fixed.”
Arix nods. “There are many metalsmiths who can help you with this. If it can’t be fixed, they may be able to replace it.”
“There’s something else.” Vivian’s tone is hesitant, and Arix’s eyes narrow as he gazes at her. I glance at Sarissa, but her attention is completely focused on Arix as if waiting for him to make some kind of move.
“Yes?”
“The Dokhalls took a control chip that we likely need to run our ship. None of us have piloted a spaceship before, so we’re relying on an artificially intelligent system to do the heavy lifting for us. Without that chip, we may not get off the ground.”
Arix nods, his expression thoughtful. “I can’t promise you will be able to find a replacement for this chip, but perhaps…”
He gets to his feet, and I almost gasp. God, he’s huge.
“If you would like to come with me, I will show you the most likely place to find such a thing.”
The Braxian next to him growls something under this breath, and Arix grins.
“My commander is unhappy at this idea,” he murmurs. The commander gives Arix a look, and his grin widens.
Sarissa narrows her eyes at the commander, obviously deciding he’s also a threat.
I glance at Tagiz, who’s currently stone-faced, but he’s letting us choose whether we’ll follow Arix.
Vivian turns to Sarissa, who shrugs, and then tilts her head as she looks at me.
I consider it. I don’t trust this Braxian. I’m sure he has his own motives for helping us, and whatever those motives are, I’m committed to figuring them out. But he hasn’t threatened us or hurt us so far. And if he can help…
I nod, and Vivian turns back to Arix, who looks amused at our silent discussion.
“Please, show us.”
He strides down the steps leading to his throne and offers his arm to Vivian. The commander chooses to stay behind, but he gives each of us a burning look, which Sarissa returns.
Tagiz, Hewex, and Jozet are all tense, but we follow the king out of the throne room, where a group of guards instantly surrounds us.
Tagiz snarls at one of the guards as he gets too close to me, and Arix glances over his shoulder. His expression is mild, but the guard instantly bows his head, backing up to give us space.
We all walk back into the huge entrance hall, only this time, Arix leads us behind the staircase to another corridor. We traipse along behind him, and I can tell by the expression on Tagiz’s face that he doesn’t like this one bit.
“If anything happens, I want you to run back to the boat,” he murmurs into my ear as we walk along gleaming silver tiles. “Don’t hesitate. Just get back to Yalex.”
I slide him a look. “You think I’d leave you here? That’s cute.”
His jaw tightens at that, and he opens his mouth—likely to make another ridiculous suggestion—but one of Arix’s guards opens the black door in front of us, and I’m suddenly blinking into the sunlight.
We must be behind the castle, and we file down black stone steps onto the grass. In front of us is a small, private dock where I count twelve tiny boats. They look almost like the gondolas I’ve seen in pictures of Venice, except they seem slightly wider.
The warriors aren’t exactly pleased by this, which isn’t surprising, since most Braxians can’t swim.
Vivian glances back at me for reassurance as we step back onto the dock, and I nod. Arix is playing his own game, and I’m not sure what that game is. But that doesn’t mean we can’t win our own game. If he can help us get off this planet, we’d be idiots not to take his help.
We’re all silent as more guards step forward, readying the gondolas. “What are these called?” I ask a guard, and he grunts.
“Hydros,” he says.
The guard holds out his hand to help me into the hydro, but Tagiz is suddenly there, shooting him an unfriendly look. I’m grateful for Tagiz’s hand as I maneuver my dress, hoping I don’t face-plant as I climb rather ungracefully into the tiny boat. Tagiz sits beside me, and I watch as Hewex and Sarissa get settled as well. Arix is helping Vivian into their own hydro, and he shakes his head as Jozet attempts to board with them.
Vivian sends Jozet a reassuring look. He doesn’t seem happy but moves toward our hydro instead.
For whatever reason, Arix wants Vivian to himself. It’s obvious he’s attracted to her, but I didn’t expect to see Vivian’s reaction to him. She’s as unsure as I’ve ever seen her, a blush creeping up her cheeks as Arix leans over and murmurs something to her.
His guards pile into their own hydros.
“Where do you think he’s taking us?” I ask, and Tagiz shrugs. His eyes are continually scanning everything around us as the guards begin to direct the hydros down the river.
Other than the gentle splash of water, it’s quiet. Peaceful. The sun is warm on my face, an
d I lean against Tagiz for a moment. He glances down at me and wraps his arm around me again.
The river flows through this town, and my head turns continually as I attempt to take everything in. On one side of the river, small, thatched houses sit next to each other on each side of a cobbled street. Mishua are either ridden by Braxians or attached to carts, some of which are stopping in front of houses to make deliveries.
We travel beneath bridges, which connect one side of the town to the other. Eventually, the houses become more and more sparse and are replaced by trees. We must go downriver for at least half an hour before we stop at another dock, this one much smaller than the one at the castle.
We’re in the middle of nowhere.
Vivian doesn’t look concerned, although she’s got that blank expression on her face that tells me she’s worried but attempting to hide it. Arix helps her from the hydro, and we all file onto the dock.
“Where are we?” Sarissa asks.
Arix smiles. “You will soon see.”
Sarissa frowns, likely about to demand more information, but he’s already turning away, offering Vivian his arm. Sarissa glances over her shoulder at me.
“I really hate this,” she mutters, and I nod.
“Same. But this is Arix’s little party. We’re just the entertainment.”
She scowls at that, but we trail after the king, who doesn’t look at all concerned by our hesitation. Tagiz is no longer even pretending to be okay with this, and his sword is now in his hand, which explains why Arix’s guards are huddling even closer around us, their hands hovering over their own swords.
I blow out a breath, my senses heightened. I’m keeping my eyes on the king as we walk along a cobbled path leading into a thicket of trees. The trees tower over us, their thick limbs a dense canopy that only allows occasional glimpses at the sky.
Sarissa sidles closer to me, her eyes hard. “What do you think is going on?” she murmurs.
