by Lee Savino
The forest swallows up the sounds of battle, the canopy hiding us from the Vgotha ship, but the warrior carrying me barely slows. I can hear Arkdhem ahead of us, crashing through the undergrowth and I groan as the 'ride' becomes even bumpier.
The breath oofs out of me as the warrior grinds to a halt again, his body tense beneath mine.
"Surrender, warriors. There is no need for battle. You are heavily outnumbered."
I immediately recognize the voice even though I've only heard it once before, since that one time was just a few minutes ago. My breath catches in my throat and I begin to struggle against the warrior holding me again. Dammit, I am not being taken prisoner while over some stranger's shoulder!
To my surprise, the warrior doesn't fight me. He sets me down, carefully, gently. Then I realize it's to protect me. He and Arkdhem have put Dawn and me down between them, both of them in position to shield us from the Vgotha who move out from between the trees. Four of them in total, including Tor, their leader.
"We will never surrender to you," Arkdhem says fiercely, the hate clear in his voice.
"Don't be foolish," Tor sneers back. "We won't hurt you unless we have—" Just like before, he doesn't manage to finish his sentence before the Tsenturion warrior who was carrying me springs forward with a battle cry.
Launching himself at the Vgotha standing directly in front of him, he grabs the other warrior and flings him at a second Vgotha.
"Run!" he shouts at Dawn and me, pointing at the opening between the Vgotha that he's just made.
Instinctively, we grab each other's hands as we follow his order. Panic is clawing its way up my throat and I am so, so glad I'm not wearing one of the Tsenturion gowns. A branch whips against my leg as I run, my fingers squeezing Dawn's so hard that it hurts.
I don't even know where we're running to.
But it doesn't matter.
Something catches me around my middle and the breath oofs out of me as it begins dragging me backwards. I claw at the restraining rope, before realizing it's actually some sort of vine. What the—? Beside me, Dawn screams as she fights the vine now dragging her along the ground.
The forest is alive.
I shriek, struggling, my fingers clawing uselessly at the thick vine and I can feel Bogdan's panic as he feels mine, right before the ground seems to rise up and swallow me whole.
Bogdan
Something is wrong. I can feel it, even through my concentration on the battlefield. Terror rising up inside of me, yet somehow apart from me... because it is not my emotion. It is my Pareena's. She is frightened and I... I am not with her.
I turn toward the field, my eyes seeking her, hoping she is finally safe... but the shuttle is still there and there is no sign of Arkdhem, Kalexston, or either Tribute. A Vgotha ship passes overhead, as though scanning the tree line, and narrowly avoiding a shot from our shuttle. A chill runs through me. Where are they? What has frightened her?
Something hits me from behind, taking advantage of my distraction, pulling my attention back to the battle. The Vgotha warriors are unexpectedly brutal fighters and my distraction could have easily ended in my death. The Jabol had told us they were cowards who would not engage us face to face, and until now that has proven true. Even when they kidnapped Tribute Dawn, right from our Command Ship, they did so sneakily. That is why they destroyed our whole planet in one blow, because they could not possibly win in a fair fight.
They have apparently honed their fighting skills since then, for they are formidable.
They are not as well armored as we, but their claws are even more vicious than our nanotech weapons and they fight like demons possessed. Where Arkdhem was unable to pierce my armor, the Vgotha weapons do not suffer the same flaw. My armor is some protection, but it is not complete. I snarl at the fiery pain that lashes across my back, turning and slashing blindly as the other warrior falls back.
Where is my Pareena?
The thought pounds through my head even as I face off against the Vgotha. I do not even wish to fight him. I do not care about killing these Vgotha nearly as much as I do about ensuring my Pareena's safety. But if I must kill them all to get back to her, then I will do so.
The Vgotha beast across from me snarls and launches himself at me. I slash at him and he actually manages to spin in midair, avoiding the blow. Quickly, I turn and lash out with my foot, kicking him just as he lands and sending him sprawling backward. His feet lift into the air and then swing, pulling his body back upright so that he lands facing me, eyes bright with furious intent.
Facing off with him, trying to ensure that no one else sneaks up on me… the Vgotha have shredded our lines and now it is an all-out brawl. The line across my back still stings. I can feel that my armor has closed around the breach his claws made but the injury remains. We lunge at each other again. I duck under his strike, managing to slash him across his side, but he catches me on his backswing, raking my thigh. Turning, I ignore the wounds as I face him again, gritting my teeth against the pain.
Before we can engage again, there is a loud blast of sound through the air, making all of the warriors—Tsenturion and Vgotha alike—jerk toward it in instinctive reaction. But when we turn back to fight, the Vgotha are running. At least two of them are carrying another Vgotha over their shoulder, although it is impossible to tell if they are dead or injured. My breath heaves out in a long sigh, confusion and dread rising inside of me.
Something is wrong.
"Come back here, cowards!" Someone yells, their voice full of anger.
But they are not cowards. I cannot think that anymore, not after fighting them. The Jabol described them as beasts, a label that rings true, but they are more than that. They have proven it today. I can tell that I am not the only injured Tsenturion warrior on the field, and I am certainly not among the worst of the wounded.
That sound we heard was a signal, a call to retreat because... because they've gotten what they came for? Horror at the realization fills me.
"Pareena!" Her name is a roar and I pelt toward the shuttle, my eyes scanning the field for my Tribute. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see the High Commander doing the same, yelling Dawn's name. I reach for her internally but... I cannot feel her. "PAREENA!"
23
Pareena
“Pareena? Pareena!” The high-pitched way the nurse is saying my name sounds almost frantic.
I suck in a lungful of air—and moan. It hurts to breathe. The morphine must be wearing off again. I reach for the little button that they gave me to help control my drip.
“No—” I mumble to the nurse, trying to wave her away with my other hand. I'm too tired to deal with more tests. “Don’ wanna—”
“Pareena, please, please wake up.” Huh. The nurse sounds terrified. Weird.
“I'm awake,” I tell her with a groan, forcing myself to focus. What has gone wrong that makes a nurse sound that scared?
My eyes pop open. I’m strapped down to a large table. An operating room? But this doesn’t look like a hospital. Grey-green walls, hewn out of rock. A damp, earthy smell. What the hell?
I strain to raise my head. Across the room, Dawn is chained to a wall.
Dawn. Not a nurse. Tribute. Tsenturion. Vgotha.
Oh no.
“Pareena! You’re awake.” Dawn slumps in her chains. I feel a small trickle of relief that both of us are still clothed. That's hopefully a good sign, right? “Thank fuck, I was starting to get worried.”
“Wha—” my mouth feels numb, full of cotton. "What happened?"
“The Vgotha got us,” Dawn says grimly.
"But where are we?" I ask, becoming more and more alert as every second passes. Unfortunately, that also means the pain in my side is increasing. I grit my teeth against it, trying to focus on what's important. "Are we still on the planet? I thought it was safe here."
“I’m guessing we’re really far underground. I doubt the Tsenturions had scans to go this deep. Or we’re under bedrock maybe? Or even under t
he water. I have no idea.”
“I feel like I’m high,” I mutter, shaking my head, trying to shake off the wooziness that's lingering.
“The air is different down here—probably not the right mix of gases for a human," Dawn says, although her voice isn't certain. She's definitely more awake than I am though, so she's probably had more time to think about it.
“Excellent guess, little human.” The deep, rumbling voice rolls through the room. I crane my neck as the giant from the clearing strides into the room, muscles rippling. He reminds me of an elk, graceful and powerful, but bipedal and with a humanoid face. There's a kind of wild beauty to him, but he's also terrifying. Especially when I'm chained up on a table and have no idea what he wants with us.
“Tor,” Dawn practically growls his name, glaring at him. “Wasn't one kidnapping enough?” She strains, tugging at her bonds. I wish I could do the same, but just trying is enough to make me stop and pant with pain. Ow.
“Stop struggling,” Tor orders, although he sounds more exasperated than anything else, like he can't believe she's even making the attempt. “There is no escape. Not this time.” Turning his back on Dawn, he walks over to me, frowning.
“You are wounded,” he says, and he almost sounds sorry about it. Now that he's looking, I can stretch out enough to see that there's blood soaking through my t-shirt, just underneath my right breast.
"Oh my God..." Panic squeezes at my chest. I'm hurt and at the mercy of the enemy. Even if he does seem like a strangely solicitous enemy.
“Do not worry, little female,” Tor rumbles. I stare up at him, not sure how to interpret the caring concern that I swear I see in his eyes. “Something cut you deeply when you were being pulled here. It was unintentional. I will heal you." He reaches into his shirt and pulls out a strange looking device. I don't exactly have time to look at it closely before he's pulling up my shirt and pressing it against my skin. I don't even have time to protest, just cry out in surprise at the sudden cold then hot sensation.
"Leave her alone!" Dawn shouts. Pain lances through the spot where it touches me, and I gasp in agonized shock as the blackness roils again and I pass out.
Bogdan
They are gone.
I sink to my knees when I see Arkdhem stumbling out of the woods, bleeding sluggishly from the shoulder he's clutching. The expression on his face is one of horrified despair and I know... I know. The warrior might be underhanded and dishonorable when it comes to trying to steal my Pareena from me, but he would never harm either Tribute. He would fight to the death for them, if need be.
For him to look like that...
I reach for my Pareena again, but I cannot feel her emotions. Our bond is too new, or perhaps the distance too great. I feel sure that she is alive, but I also fear that is only my great hope and not the reality.
Still, the Vgotha did not harm Tribute Dawn when they had her in their clutches before. Tor had taken her to demand a meeting with the High Commander. I can only hope this time will be the same. Shame rises in me as I remember counseling the High Commander to forget Tribute Dawn when she was taken, to let the Vgotha keep her, and request a replacement from the Jabol.
Now I understand.
My Pareena is not replaceable. It does not matter that we have not fully bonded yet. I do not want any Tribute but her.
"Arkdhem..." The High Commander's voice is hoarse. "Please, tell me the Tributes are hidden in the forest."
The warrior's shoulders hunch in. "I cannot, High Commander. The Vgotha found us before we could find a safe place to secure the Tributes... they outnumbered us... we made an opening and told the Tributes to run but they did not get far. There were vines that came up out of the ground, aiding the Vgotha... we tried to fight..." His voice breaks and he suddenly sounds very young. "Kalexston did not... he... he fought honorably until the end, but the Tributes were captured."
Kalexston is dead.
Guilt swamps me. He is dead because the Tributes had been the Vgotha's goal. If I had not given my Pareena into his keeping... I had been trying to protect her, but I had made the wrong choice. I should have been there, beside her, holding her. Then Kalexston might be alive and my Pareena might be safe.
The High Commander practically vibrates with tension. "Gather our dead and wounded," he orders finally. "We will run scans. Spread the fleet out around the planet—our scouts, everything. If a single ship lifts into the air that's not ours, I want to know. Do not leave them any space where they might launch unobserved."
It will stretch our warriors and our ships to their limits, but it makes sense. They are somewhere still here on the planet. We would not have been able to miss a ship taking them into space. They must have run into the forest, to wherever they were hiding before... it's highly possible they aren't on this island anymore, but they must be somewhere on the planet still.
A hand claps onto my shoulder and I realize I am standing there, staring upward into the sky, as if I will somehow be able to discern my Pareena's location from the angle of the sun. I turn my head to see the High Commander's—Gavrill's—eyes looking at me with grim sympathy.
"Hope is not yet lost, my friend," he says softly, his armor glimmering with repressed rage and distress, but his voice is calm. "We will regroup and then we will find our Tributes and take them back." I nod at the promise in his words, although I cannot unclench my jaw to answer. I am afraid that if I do, I will lose control of myself.
I move as if in a dream, following the High Commander back to the beach. Two warriors go with Arkdhem to the forest to collect Kalexston's body. Surprisingly, thankfully, there is only one other body to recover. Borodem will never get his Tribute. A deep sadness settles over me.
We have lost a few warriors over the tsencyles we've spent hunting the Vgotha, they are not the first... but they are the first since the Jabol finally delivered on their promise of Tributes. The first since we were given hope.
Grief is followed by anger, but there is also relief that our losses were not greater. They could have been. The Jabol descriptions of the Vgotha's hand-to-hand fighting capabilities were highly inaccurate. If we were not constantly training, despite the fact that this was the first time we'd met the Vgotha on an actual battleground, we would have been easily overrun. We will have to train harder than ever in case we ever face them off ship again. The knowledge is both humbling and disturbing.
First new technology on their ships that allow them to elude us and now this? The Vgotha threat is greater than ever.
And my Pareena is in their hands... The last time I felt this helpless was after the Great Tragedy. The only difference is now I also feel the most dangerous of emotions—hope.
24
Pareena
When I come to, the ache in my side is gone, replaced by an intense tingling. I gasp and automatically wince, expecting shooting pain from the movement but... nothing. I sigh in relief.
“Pareena?” Dawn calls out to me. I lift my head to look at her. It’s all I can lift because even though Tor did something to heal the wound, I’m still tied down. At least I don’t have to crane my neck as far. The table under my shoulders has elevated a little so I’m half sitting up, which also allows me to breathe a little better.
“Present,” I return weakly, giving her a lopsided smile.
“Oh, thank goodness.” Dawn sags back against the wall, her hair falling in her face. “He said you would be, but… I just didn’t know whether or not to believe him. I don’t think he would mean to hurt you, honestly, but I could always be wrong.”
“I’m okay,” I reassure her, although I’m not entirely sure that I am. Physically, I do seem to be fine now, but emotionally… mentally… My brain feels like utter chaos. “Except… this is all real, isn’t it? It’s not a dream?”
I’d pretty much come to accept that it wasn’t, but now I’m almost hoping it is. Because I don’t want this part to be real. I want to be able to click my heels together and magically be returned to Bogdan. But if t
his is real, then that’s not going to happen. Accepting that I was abducted by aliens once? That was hard enough. Accepting that it’s happened again and I’m never going to see the alien that I fell in love with again? That makes me want to start screaming and never stop.
Dawn’s face softens as she looks at me. “No. It’s not a dream.”
“You know, when I first woke up with Frllil, I thought I was in a coma. That this all was the product of my imagination. I mean, that’s a lot easier to believe than something like, I was abducted from Earth via an e-reader. My cancer is cured, and I have an alien master. And now, I’ve been abducted a second time, and I’m caught in an inter-species feud where both sides want to annihilate the other.”
“That’s some imagination. You know what they say, truth is stranger than fiction,” Dawn tries to joke. Neither of us laughs and her expression turns sad. “This is all real, I’m afraid. I’m real. You’re here. This,” she waves a hand at the room, stretching as far as the chain allows, “is happening.”
“Damn.”
“Yeah.”
“This happened to you before, right?” I need to keep moving forward. If I stop, I’ll panic. I can’t do that yet. When I’m back with Bogdan, I’ll let myself freak out. “You never told me how you escaped. I think we should definitely go over that now.”
“Last time I escaped because the ship helped me,” Dawn says, shrugging one shoulder a little ruefully.
“What the what?” That entire sentence makes no sense.
“I know it sounds crazy, but that’s what happened. I was crying in my cell and all I wanted was to get out... and then a door opened and I swear, the ship led me through itself to an escape pod and then the escape pod took me back to Gavrill." She sighs. "The Tsenturions wanted to experiment on it but I convinced them to let it go and try to follow it back to the Vgotha ships... it escaped, but I'm kinda glad it did."
