by Roxie Ray
“Not without me,” I protested. “I haven't come this far with you just to be left behind.”
Zark shook his head firmly. “I'm not going to put us in another situation where Torqa can manipulate me by threatening you. It's happened too many times already.”
“Neither of you idiots are listening,” Dhimurs hissed. “Neither of you are going down there. What if Torqa catches you and holds you hostage?”
Zark gave Dhimurs a lopsided grin. “Then I suppose you'll just have to rescue me again, won't you? After all, you do seem awfully good at it.”
And with that, he skittered over the edge of the ridge.
I moved to follow him, but Dhimurs’ hand clamped down hard on my arm. “I know you must care a great deal for Zark,” he said through clenched teeth, “but by now, you've surely come to understand how reckless he can be. Don't make the same mistake he's making. Stay put so we can protect you.”
“I appreciate the concern,” I shot back, “but if he's going, I'm going, and that's all there is to it.”
“By the stars, woman, is your translator implant malfunctioning or something? What part of we can't rush in without a plan do you fail to comprehend?”
Before I could answer, the air began to shimmer a short distance away, in the shape of a column. At first, I thought my sunstroke had returned.
Then a glowing figure materialized.
Respen.
“What in the blazes is going on now?” Dhimurs snarled. “What's a Lunian doing here?”
Suddenly, an image flashed in my head: Respen on Earth, embracing a human woman.
My… mother?
Respen smiled at me serenely, reaching out. “Hello, daughter. I am exceedingly sorry it has taken so long for us to reach this moment – but I am delighted that we finally have.”
20
Zark
I edged down the side of the ravine, clinging to ridges in the sharp rock and trying to remain hidden. Staying out of direct sight from the camp below was extremely tricky – but if I didn't, they'd see my silver cooling suit immediately and come down on me like a cloud of Mordican flies on excrement.
My descent was slow and difficult. Dhimurs’ serum was wearing off quickly, and my body was already starting to hurt again – the feeling of crushed glass in my joints, stabbing and shredding with every movement.
I desperately hoped I could somehow locate the book and escape without encountering Torqa. Even when I was in the best of health, she'd still been able to mop the floor with me easily during our regular sparring sessions. Now that I was severely debilitated, I wouldn't have a chance in hell.
And if my plan failed? Well, then that would be that, wouldn't it? Either Torqa would kill me, or the curse would. I prayed to all the Succubi that Akzun would honor my promise to Miranda and take her back to Earth, should the worst happen.
More than that, I prayed that Miranda would forgive me for singling her out as my one true mate, only to die and leave her alone.
No. I couldn’t let it come to that. Some way, some how, I had to prevail. There was no other option.
When I reached the bottom of the canyon, I slipped out of the cooling suit. As tempting as it was to keep it on, I couldn't remain unseen as long as I was wearing it. I wished I'd been able to repurpose some of the cloaking tech from Dhimurs' vehicle. As it was, I'd have to rely on the fact that the suns had changed their positions in the sky, so the high walls of the canyon would provide a bit of shelter from their rays.
A bit. Not nearly enough.
I skulked around rocks and crawled through the blazing hot sand, so overheated I could barely draw breath. I had grit in my hair, eyes, nose, and mouth. Finally, I got close enough to hide in the shade of the shuttle.
Torqa was in one of the tents, talking to her people. The rest were lounging around, talking among themselves. I could spot the adrenaline addicts among them – legs jittering, eyes shifting, cleaning and maintaining their weapons restlessly. I was in no hurry to go up against any of them.
The book had to be on the shuttle. If she was here, it would be here, too. She wouldn't risk letting it out of her sight.
For a moment, I was worried that Torqa would have several of the mercenaries guarding it. Then I realized she wouldn't trust any of them to do that – too much risk of them trying to steal it for themselves.
Good. For once, her paranoia was to my advantage.
I slipped around to the shuttle's side door and crept in, listening carefully to make sure there was no one else inside. It sounded like I was alone, and I went to the main cabin. The sight of Torqa's clothes and personal belongings laying around was an odd reminder of the nights we'd spent together, and the memory made me physically ill. I couldn't believe I'd been so close to her then… that the person I'd admired so much had turned against her own people so horribly.
No time to dwell on such things, now. I had to find that book, and fast.
I pawed through her things – and there it was. Heavy, bound in the thick and scaly hide of some long-extinct creature, etched with bizarre runes, and adorned with a heavy lock that didn't appear to have any hole for a key. It radiated sheer power. Just looking at it made my eyes sting, like trying to stare directly into the sun.
It was a good thing Torqa hadn't figured out a way to open the book. If she had, the devastation she could wreak…
…would make me a living goddess, unstoppable, the undisputed ruler of the universe, she finished in my mind. Sounds like a lot of fun, doesn't it?
I turned and saw her standing in the doorway, her arms crossed.
“I cannot believe my eyes,” she went on out loud. “I mean, naturally I expected you to escape from those shoddy shackles I put you in. I much preferred the idea of allowing you a few moments of hope before Skovakk tore you both limb from limb. A much more brutal and fitting conclusion to your life. I was even planning to amuse myself by telepathically accessing his memories of your deaths afterward. But somehow, a soft human female and a lazy simpleton who only achieved his current rank as a result of shameless nepotism managed to defeat the mighty Skovakk the Unyielding! I'll admit, I'm more than a little impressed.”
“The days when I sought out your approval are long past us, Torqa,” I growled.
“Oh, learn how to take a compliment, Zark!” she laughed. “Yes, I used you. Yes, I betrayed your brother. But there's no need to be so melodramatic! I'm not a monster, or some villain from a child's bedtime story! You know me. Intimately, even. And because of that, you know full well that everything I've done has been for the greater good of our planet and our people.”
“In your deranged mind, I can imagine you believe your intentions to be good, yes,” I spat.
“And now here we are. Together again. You, me… and the book. I could take it from you easily. You look like you barely have the strength to stand. But instead, I have a proposal for you: join me.”
Now it was my turn to laugh. “Torqa, I knew you were many things, but I never thought you were a comedian.”
“It's no joke. In fact, it's the only option that makes sense. We were good together once. We can be again. With your charm and my strength, we can make every civilized planet in the galaxy bend to our will. We can take the Wrath and the Dezmodon to Yuluna and force Respen to reveal the secrets of the book to us. Our power will be unmatched.” She stepped forward, stroking my face softly. “And of course, there would be… certain other benefits, as well.”
I pulled away from her touch, repulsed. “What about Akzun?”
“I wanted him once, I'll admit. But I consider you to be a worthy substitute.”
“No, I mean what could possibly make you believe I would ever turn on my own brother?”
She grinned. “Don't think of it as betraying your brother. Think of it as saving his life. If you refuse me, my first act as Valkred's new Blood Ruler will be to have him executed. But if you agree to join me, then his life will be my gift to you. He'll be imprisoned for life, of course, but he'
ll be kept quite comfortable, and you'll still be able to see him whenever you wish. Why, I'm feeling so generous that I'll even agree to spare the life of his contemptible consort, as well.”
“And what about Miranda?” I was stalling for time. I had to find a way out of here that didn't involve a fight with Torqa.
“No need to worry, Zark. I wouldn't dream of killing Miranda. Not when her… unique abilities could prove so useful to my cause.”
My jaw dropped. “How did you know about that?”
“I still have spies everywhere. Even in the Ruby Stronghold. Now make your choice: Embrace me, or embrace your own destruction.”
I was out of time. I needed to get the book out of there, and from where I was standing, there was only one way out of that room: through her.
“Destruction it is, then,” I said, holding the book tightly and rushing at her.
“A poor choice, old friend. But a predictable one.”
Torqa smacked the book out of my hands, and then punched me in the chest. The impact snapped several of my ribs and drove me back against the wall, knocking all the breath out of me.
By the stars, it felt like her strength had tripled! How had she accomplished that?
“I don't need to read your mind to know what you're thinking right now, Zark,” she said, striding toward me as I tried to get back on my feet. “You're wondering how my physical abilities have reached supernatural levels. It's the book, you imbecile. Even without access to the knowledge it contains, just possessing it allows a small fraction of its energy to flow through me. Every day that it remains in my hands, I grow stronger, faster, smarter. Soon, I'll be powerful enough to open it, and then the universe will quake beneath my boots.”
She delivered a swift kick to my face, and I flew across the room, smashing against another wall. Everything in my field of vision was starting to spin and swim.
“A pity that you won't be alive to see it,” she jeered.
No, I supposed I wouldn't. In that moment, I was fully convinced that that shuttle cabin would be the last thing I'd ever see – the room, and Torqa's face as she beat me to death with her bare hands. Better that than wasting away from this curse, I thought. Maybe Dhimurs and Surge would find a way to succeed where I'd failed.
Suddenly, there was a woman's voice in the doorway: “Get away from him, you hateful fucking bitch.”
I turned to look.
Miranda was wearing Valkred armor and leveling a blaster at Torqa. By all the Succubi, she looked glorious – beautiful and formidable, a real warrior. I'd have been aroused if I weren't in so much agony.
“What is this pathetic play-acting?” Torqa screeched. “How dare you wear that uniform, you scummy little human whore? You're dishonoring everything that every true Valkred warrior has ever fought and died for!”
“Maybe I am,” Miranda replied with a shrug, “but personally, I think I look pretty damn good in it. And if you don't back away from Zark right now, I'm going to dishonor your head by blasting a hole through it.”
“Oh, are you? Do you even know how to use that weapon?”
“I think so, yeah. Funny thing, though: I keep getting the ‘stun’ and ‘kill’ settings confused. Want to test me?”
Torqa snickered. “You have no concept of the power I currently possess, girl. Even set to kill, that weapon won't stop me on the first shot. Or even the second. I'll have plenty of time to close the distance between us and rip out your throat while this lovesick puppy on the floor watches. And then I'll flay him alive and decorate my walls with his flesh.”
Miranda's lip curled. “Well, first of all, ew, that's incredibly gross and you should probably seek therapy. Second, before we find out whether you're bluffing about suddenly being laser-proof, there's some stuff you might want to know about your precious book.”
Torqa cackled nastily. “Earthling, what could you possibly tell me about this book?”
“For starters, there's the fact that Respen knew you were going to steal it. He let you do it.”
The smile faded from Torqa's face. “Impossible.”
“Wow,” Miranda replied. “I knew you were arrogant, but I didn't realize you were stupid, too. You've really convinced yourself that you're such hot shit you were able to pilfer one of the rarest artifacts in the universe from the most powerful living sorcerer? It never occurred to you that he was using you for his own purposes?”
As Miranda kept talking, I realized that Torqa's attention was entirely focused on her. Could I somehow use that to my advantage? Surprise her and overpower her, so we could get away with the book?
Then I heard Dhimurs' telepathy in my head: No. Miranda is distracting her. Reinforcements are on their way. They're close, Zark. You must be patient.
“You're lying,” Torqa said. “There's no reason Respen would ever willingly allow such an item to be taken from him.”
“Hey, what can I say? Lunians do strange things for strange reasons, right? Maybe he knew that you'd never be smart enough to actually figure out how to open the book. Maybe he figured that even if you managed to siphon off some of its power for your dumb war, you'd still fuck it up because you're so utterly full of yourself, and he'd get it back afterward.”
Torqa's face twisted into a hideous snarl – and then she threw her head back, laughing. “I must confess, girl, you almost had me going there for a moment. You've done a masterful job of stalling, trying to distract me by taunting me so I'd be blinded by my own rage and attack mindlessly. You're quite something, for a human. I'm starting to see why Zark is so taken with you. But you clearly have no idea what you're talking about. It's all guesswork and gibberish. What could an Earthling possibly know about the motivations of Lunians?”
“Well, probably not much about Lunians in general,” Miranda answered, “but certainly Respen in particular. I mean, since he's my father and all.”
I was so shocked by her words that for a moment, I thought I must have imagined them. But based on the expression on Torqa's face, I clearly hadn't.
“More lies. A human with a Lunian parent? Preposterous.” This time, though, Torqa sounded quite uneasy.
“Hey, I'd have thought so too if I hadn't heard it from Respen himself,” Miranda said. “But apparently, it's true. He visited Earth. He met my mother and fell in love with her. And I was the result. It's why my mental powers have gotten so much stronger the closer I've gotten to the book. Which means now, I can do stuff like this.”
Miranda's eyes narrowed, blazing with fury.
Torqa's hands went to her head and she screamed, blood pouring from her eyes, ears, and nose. “Oh, you wretched harlot! What are you doing to me?”
“Nothing much,” Miranda retorted, squinting hard. “Just picking your brain.”
Torqa reeled, staggered, and then fell to her knees. The blood kept coming, forming a steadily growing pool beneath her. She opened her mouth to speak, and a gurgling sound came out as a large red bubble emerged from her mouth.
Stay put, Zark, Dhimurs told me telepathically. Our backup is almost here. Just hold out a little while longer, so we can pull you both out of there in one piece. Trust me.
I wanted to trust him. And I would have.
But even in her agony, even bleeding and mewling and spasming, even with her brain being torn to shreds, Torqa still found the energy to reach behind her… and produce a hidden blaster, pointing it straight at Miranda.
I charged at Torqa, ready to stomp her to death – to make her pay for every betrayal, every insult, every crime against Akzun and Valkred, every threat leveled at Miranda.
“No, Zark!” Miranda cried out. “Don't! We have to wait…!”
Torqa twisted around to face me, her face and hair streaked with blood. As she did, she fired the mini-blaster at me from point-blank range.
I felt the blast tear through my stomach and dropped to the floor.
“No!” Miranda screamed, running to me.
As she crouched by my side, I peered over her shoulder, m
y vision blurring. The last thing I saw was Torqa stumbling out of the cabin. Then I slumped, unconscious, my midsection bleeding and smoldering.
21
Miranda
I stared helplessly at the burning crater in the middle of Zark's belly. What was I supposed to do? I didn't know anything about First Aid, even for normal Earth injuries. How could I possibly know how to treat an injury from a fucking laser blast?
I had to do something. I couldn't just watch him die – not now that we had the book, not after everything we'd been through to get it.
Not when I finally realized how much I loved him.
“It'll be all right,” I whispered, my eyes filling with tears. “I promise. Just hold on, okay? There'll be other Valkredians here soon, they'll have medical facilities, they can fix you, Zark, you can't give up on me, you can't…”
Outside, I heard yells from the mercenaries, followed by Dhimurs’ voice and the sound of blaster fire. I hoped they'd be able to capture or kill Torqa. But even if they didn't, at least she wouldn't be fueled by the power of the book anymore.
Not that that would comfort me much if Zark didn't make it out of here alive.
Suddenly, the air in the corner began to shimmer, just like it had on the ridge overlooking the canyon. I looked up and saw Respen materialize again. He calmly bent down and picked the book up, brushing dust off it gently.
“Thank you for returning this to me, daughter,” he intoned. “And please thank Zark, as well, when you feel it is appropriate.”
“What are you doing? He's dying! You need to help him! Save him!”
“He is not for me to save,” Respen replied simply.
“What?” I shrieked. “What the fuck are you talking about? You're supposed to be the wisest, most powerful wizard in the whole goddamn universe! What do you mean you can't save him?”
