by Ella Maven
“Tomorrow at sunset.”
“That gives us time.”
Zecri was already thinking.
I could tell by the firm set of his jaw. My cora beat rapidly and my blood fired with a different kind of heat. One of gratitude. “Good thing it wasn’t Mikko and me left. If we hadn’t already killed each other, we certainly wouldn’t have been making up a decent plan. You and Rexor were always the brains.”
Zecri huffed what might have been a laugh. “No, I’m just better at seeing another’s problems objectively. When it comes to plans for me…” he shrugged.
A random thought spiked its way the forefront of my brain. “Wait, I can’t leave you. You’ll come, right? I can talk Bezmir into letting us both come. I’m sure he’ll—”
“No.”
I clamped my jaw shut with a clack before turning on the rock to fully face him. Zecri sat on the sand with his knees drawn up, hands braced behind him. Flames flickered into his dark purple eyes. “Z,” I whispered. “But we promised—”
“I promised I wouldn’t leave you,” he said quietly. “But this is you leaving me, on the most important mission of your life, no matter how it ends.”
The thought of him alone on this planet broke me, but we’d all committed long ago not to question each other’s decision to remain on this planet rather than go home. Zecri still bore the physical scars from his time as a pleasure house slave, and I couldn’t begin to think what scars he bore mentally. “What will you do?”
“I’ll work harder on my own plan,” he whispered. He shook his head and sat up while dusting off his hands. “Enough about me.”
“Z—”
“Enough.” He barked, eyes firing at me.
I narrowed my eyes. “You don’t have to get mad about it.”
“I’m not mad.”
“You’re a little mad.”
A low growl rumbled in his throat. “I’m slightly irritated.”
I laughed, and even Zecri ducked his head to hide his smile. “All right, fine,” I said. “Slightly irritated. Sorry for caring about you. I’ll never make that mistake again, you big grumpy flecker.”
Zecri lifted his head and reached for me. This time, I didn’t jerk away, and he slowly brushed my hair with the tips of his fingers. My scalp tingled, but the pain never came. He smiled then, a rare Zecri smile that lightened up his eyes and drew deep grooves in his cheeks. “Thank you for caring. But I promise you I’ll be okay. You know I keep my promises.”
My throat felt tight when I nodded.
His smile faded as he drew his hand back. “Get some sleep. When the sun rises, we will work on that plan.”
Zecri retreated to his furs and was asleep quickly. The soothing sounds of his deep breaths mixed with the last gasps of the dying fire. I took the Kixx from my pocket and stared at it, wishing I could toss it into the fire and watch it burn. I didn’t want it. I never did. But it was the only thing that kept the pain at bay and beat back the fire that threatened to reduce my mind to ash.
With shaking hands, I opened the pack and slipped a finger inside. Coating the tip in the green powder, I lifted my finger to my mouth and spread it on the inside of my bottom lip.
Immediately, a coolness spread throughout my mouth, plunging down my throat to settle in my gut before winding out to every limb. The fiery pain subsided in a chill wash. With numb limbs, I crawled to my fur and collapsed on top of it. My head spun with an icy blast and I welcome the absence of heat as much as I loathed it.
I fell asleep with ice forming on my tongue and the image of a dark-haired female with brown eyes caressing my face. With her touch, there was no pain.
I’d been born on the planet Corin, but when our females were wiped out and our civilization left in ruins, the remaining males had traveled to our sister planet, Torin, to work for the Uldani. They ended up betraying us, but for fifty rotations, we’d lived in relative happiness working for them as security and law enforcement.
Corin and Torin were plentiful with game, such as the meaty antella. The aggressive predator salibris provided us thick furs. On Vixlicin, most of the game had been hunted into near extinction by the Plikens who hadn’t bothered to monitor the finite resource. The most plentiful game left was the yilkes, which were small animals about the size of my thigh. The meat was tough and a little bland, but enough seasoning left it relatively tasty.
When I’d first starting hunting, I’d tried to kill everything with fire, which only left me with a charred inedible mess. I was smarter now and had learned I could still use my fire while leaving the meat preserved.
I walked with a more confident bounce in my step as a half dozen dead yilkes hung on a string over my shoulder. Yilkes were mostly hairless with rope-like tails and long whiskers. They lived in the rock formations on the planet, feeding on insects and vegetation.
I’d left Zecri after our late afternoon meal to catch as many as I could, since they mostly emerged from their burrows as the sun was setting. While we had a decent stockpile of czens, we’d found the vendors at the market valued a bundle of dead yilkes a lot more. I had to make a few purchases before meeting with Bezmir.
Zecri was waiting for me beside our dying fire when I returned. The sun was low in the sky, and I needed to make the trip to the market soon.
He nodded to his bundled pack sitting as his side. “I’m ready.”
I dropped the bundle of yilkes and sat down on the rock beside him. “I need to go alone.”
It was hard to get a reaction out of Zecri, but I’d succeeded this time. He jerked, and he blinked a few times before cocking his head. “Why?”
“I don’t know what awaits, and I don’t want you drawn into this.”
“Fenix—”
“You have your own missions you want to accomplish on this planet, right?”
He didn’t answer, only watched me steadily.
“You’ve spent all this time worrying about Rexor, Mikko, and me. Helping us with our plans and being the brains. So now you can finally be free of the burden of us. Do what you need to do.”
He clasped his hands in front of him and leaned forward. “None of you were ever a burden.” His deep voice went hoarse. “Ever.”
“You might be the best of all of us,” I whispered.
He scoffed and looked away before shaking his head. “There is nothing left of me that’s the best of anything.” He met my eyes again. “But you? You were the heart of us all. Rexor was the leader. Mikko the fighter. And you were the conscience, binding us all together because we knew how much the brotherhood meant to you. You’d gone so long without it…” he flinched, as if the memory of my past pained him. “You don’t know what kind of state that female is in because of what she’s been through, but you of all Drixonians are capable of understanding silence.”
My breath stuttered in my chest.
“You told us that we saved your life,” Zecri said. “You thanked us many times. Now it’s your turn to save her life. This is your calling, Fenix. I know you know that.”
“I do,” I whispered.
He grabbed the back of my neck and slammed our foreheads together.
I panted through the pain which ignited down my spine. Because even though my skin crawled with the touch, I needed the comfort more than anything.
“You can do this,” he murmured. “We talked about what you need to do. You can adapt the plan as you go, but your end goal remains the same. Save the female. Save yourself. She is All.”
“I’m…” I licked my lips as my voice left in a shudder. “I’m scared of failing.”
“Rexor was too. So was Mikko. Every Drixonian who has ever lived has been scared of failing. Deep in your cora, what do you want to do?”
That answer was easy. I felt the calling deep in my bones. “I want to save her.”
He smiled. “Then you will, Fenix. You’ll get her to safety. You’ll see Mikko and Rexor again.” He pulled away, and although the pain faded without his touch, the absence of his com
fort hit me hard. Picking up his pack, he rose to his feet. His long dark hair blew in the wind, and I let my gaze linger on the scars on his neck and wrists. The evidence of what he’d been through.
“Tell good stories about me when you’re together drinking spirits.” A slight tremor shook his voice.
“Z… maybe you’ll join us.”
He shook his head with a small smile. “Fatas has chosen a different destiny for me. Name a chit after me, huh?”
“A chit?” I let out a laugh. “I don’t know if that’s in my future, brother.”
“It is,” he whispered. “You, Rexor, and Mikko. Somewhere on some planet you’ll be chasing some screaming chits with your beautiful females at your side.”
“I like your dream,” I said.
“Not a dream.” He crossed his wrists at his neck and dipped his head once in the Drix greeting. “She is All.”
“She is All,” I echoed.
He turned and walked away, the marred skin of his back hidden beneath a worn vest.
I wondered if it was the last time I’d ever hear him say those words. I waited until he was nothing but a speck of blue on the horizon before I gathered my pack and the yilkes with a cracking, aching cora.
Four
Jennie
I woke to shouting and sat up so quickly I banged my head on the bars of my cage. Wincing, I pressed a hand to the swelling knot just as the cloth over my cage was ripped off. In the dim lantern light of the room, the first thing I saw was two glowing purple orbs.
The Drix—Fenix—stood over my cage, his entire body tense and his gloved hands fisted at his side. He wore big black boots, a pair of tan pants, and a long coat over his bare chest.
I caught sight of bulging muscles and looked away. Something about him was human yet … not, and it was a little disconcerting how very badly I wanted to stare at him for reasons I wasn’t ready to admit.
“I thought I told you to get her out of the cage and get her a decent meal,” Fenix growled at Bezmir.
My owner sat at a table with a pint of drink in front of him, seemingly unconcerned with the very angry Drix in the room. “And I don’t do what you tell me to do.”
Fenix twisted at the waist, and his coat swirled around his large calves. “You have no idea how to keep a human alive. You’ve already nearly killed her.”
The got Bezmir’s attention. “I didn’t nearly kill her. And she’s doing fine.” He gestured to me, but a flicker of unease passed over his face.
“How many humans have you met?” Fenix asked.
“One.”
“Not including her, you flecker.”
Bezmir muttered something under his breath before saying louder, “None.”
“And I’ve met several. She’s worth nothing in your exchange if she’s half-dead. You gave me a job, and I’m doing it. I’m keeping her alive.” He took a step toward Bezmir. “Now unchain her and get her out of this flecking cage or I’m going to start wrecking shet.”
That got Bezmir out of his chair. He grumbled as he swaggered forward, sending me a glare like this was my fault.
Fenix hovered over Bezmir’s back as he opened up the cage and reached in to undo the chain around my ankle. It fell to the stone floor with a clatter, and I immediately reached down to rub the tender skin.
Suddenly gloved hands reached inside the cage. Startled, I shied away, but Fenix didn’t hesitate as he reached inside and pulled me from the cage. He gave a short gasp, and his scales rippled as his jaw tightened. He set me on the floor, and I wobbled slightly, but was happy to walk under my own power, a freedom I’d been denied too much.
I still wore the pajamas I’d been in when I’d been taken from Earth—a pair of cotton plaid pants and a T-shirt from a college intramural softball tournament. They were now filthy, torn, and unbelievably smelly. I stunk too, and my hair was a greasy nest.
Bezmir had occasionally let me use a cleanser to clean myself, but it’d been a while since I’d last had the chance. I didn’t want to even count how long.
“Tonight, she rests in a room,” Fenix said shortly. “Give me one, or I’ll take her somewhere myself.”
Bezmir glared. “I don’t like your demands, Drix.”
“Humans need a varied diet. Plenty of qua, and that wound on her ankle could kill her. They can’t have torn skin for long. They need proper sleep, or they go feral. Did you know any of that? Or did you think she’d be fine eating podge for a flecking cycle while chained in a cage?”
Bezmir’s nostrils flared and he looked like he wanted to deck Fenix, but instead he turned to one of his crew. “Show them a room. Post two guards outside.”
The crew member, a mean and appropriately named Hirtz, said, “I’ll stay in the room with them.”
I began to shake at the thought of Hirtz anywhere near me. In a way, I’d felt safe in the cage. But in a room with Hirtz, where he could touch me? Oh hell no.
“She doesn’t like you,” Fenix said, and I glanced up at him. Had he sensed my fear? “You stay outside.”
Hirtz looked like he was going to argue, but Bezmir smacked him on the head. “Do what I said. Now.”
Hirtz shot me a look that promised retribution, and I ducked my head to avoid his hateful glare. He took us up a flight of rickety stairs, and the whole time Fenix held a hand a few inches from my back in case I fell. Even from that short distance, I could feel the heat from his hand warming my back and the steady beat of his heart. The familiarity comforted me. I found it interesting he seemed to avoid touching me, but then again, I was gross and smelly, so maybe that was it.
At the end of the hall, Hirtz opened a door, then stood at the side with his hands clasped in front of him. After we walked inside, Fenix slammed the door shut without another word. The room was sparse. A dirty pad sat in one corner which was most likely the bed. A kettle hung over a small fireplace, and one grimy window gave a distorted view of the street below. A large basin sat in the corner. A few chairs were scatted around the room, and Fenix directed me toward one where I sat down, embarrassed at being winded from a flight of stairs.
He knelt in front of me and shoved his hood off his head. I’d seen his hair before, but up close, it was mesmerizing. The mohawk was a bright orange which seemed to glow from within each thick strand.
“I’m sorry,” he said softly, drawing me out of my thoughts. His eyes were on my ankle, but he didn’t touch me. “I’ll get you some qua, and you can bathe. The other human I met said she preferred to bathe in liquid. Is that true?”
His gaze lifted to mine.
A bath? I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had a bath. The cleanser was like a shower stall where a stream of purified air stripped my body and hair of dirt and grime. It worked, but I still missed the warmth and relaxation of a shower. I nodded and looked around, unsure how he planned to let me bathe. The basin in the corner was made of a tin-like material and was probably big enough for my body. But how would he heat that much qua?
Fenix strode to the door and opened it up. He said a few low words to someone in the hallway, and a short time later, a few of Bezmir’s crew members arrived with jugs of qua. Fenix pointed to the basin, and they marched inside. After dumping the qua in the basin to fill it about three-quarters full, they walked out. I stared at it, dreading sinking under some cold water, but beggars couldn’t be choosers.
Fenix showed me to a small door along one wall. “The expeller is in there,” he said, referring to what they called a toilet. “Go ahead and use that, and when you come out, you can bathe.”
He closed the door to give me privacy. There was no mirror in the small bathroom—nothing but the expeller and the cleanser. I did my business, happy to have something other than a bucket.
Noises came from the other room, and I emerged from the bathroom to find steam rising from the qua-filled basin. I stared at it in disbelief.
“I heated it up for you. So it’s like a hot spring,” Fenix had taken off his long coat. He stood wearing nothin
g but pants and a pair of boots. He swallowed as he looked between it and me, and for the first time, I saw a bit of nervousness in his posture. “Is this all right for you?”
Still a little stunned, I nodded. How had he warmed the water? I crept closer, and stuck a finger inside, nearly weeping at the feel of the hot-tub-like qua.
“I’ll turn around and give you privacy.” He pointed to a piece of fabric on a chair near the tub I hadn’t noticed yet. “When you get out, you can wrap yourself in that. I know humans’ skin absorbs water.”
I wanted to ask how he knew so much about humans. And like he knew what he was thinking, his lips tilted at the corners. “I made up some of that stuff to Bezmir. I have met humans before. Two of them. So, some was true. I just wanted him to doubt his knowledge and rely on me.” He gave me a little nod and then grabbed a chair. Turning it around to face the far wall, he sat down.
I waited a moment, still unsure about this whole situation. But the lure of the hot qua was too much. If this was bait to get me undressed, well I was taking it. I stripped out of my clothes and had just let my pants pool around my ankles when Fenix made a sound and stood as he turned around. I opened my mouth on a silent squeal as I grabbed for my shirt to cover what I could of my body.
He froze, eyes massive in his face, as he held out one gloved hand. For a moment, neither of us moved, and then he nearly tripped over his feet as he reached for the pack he’d left on the floor. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” He ducked his head, actively avoiding looking at me as he dug through the bag. “Fleck, where is it? I know I got it.”
Suddenly he pulled his hand out with an ivory disk clutched in it. He held it aloft with a triumphant cry. “Here!” His gaze flickered to me before he looked down and away. He cleared his throat as he shuffled toward me while facing away. “This is, um, a wet cleansing bar. The vendor at the market said it’s to be used with qua. You get it wet and rub it and it makes a lather.”
Soap. He’d brought me soap. Such a simple thing, yet it meant so much to me and to my humanity. I felt the tears prick the back of my eyes a moment before one spilled out over my bottom lashes. I let out a sob that sounded more like a gasp, and Fenix forgot his embarrassment and looked directly at me.
