by Nikki Frank
I shuddered and hoped he wasn’t referring to me. But instead he turned his gaze on Elita, who went pale.
“I will take the daughter of my rival as my wife. Then when the rest of my plans come to fruition I will rule the Central Borderlands from both sides. No one will oppose me with you as my bride.
“As for you four, such strong fighters would be a shame to waste. You will be allowed to join my ranks in return for your lives.” He held up a hand as Omri opened his mouth. “Ah, ah, ah. Let’s not jump to noble, yet wasteful decisions. To help make the choice easier I’ll add an extra stipulation. If any one of you chooses to decline, I’ll kill all four. You have one day to choose.” He ran a hand through his yellow hair and gave Elita a lascivious look. “Farak, take the source to his new quarters and Elita to my own. See they're properly cared for. They’re our special guests.”
The dragon bowed his scaly head and herded the two off down a glass hall. Zaemon then turned a grimace of a smile on us. “Ferika, take them to their quarters, as well. If they make the proper decision they will be replacing the herd as palace guards. Care for them accordingly.”
She inclined her head to him and used her tail to move us down a different hall than Farak had taken. To my surprise Omri moved to her head and spoke to her.
“I wish to see my companions properly cared for. Would you be so kind as to escort me to my room last?”
“Whatever.”
She forced Yumiko into the first room. The accommodations looked normal enough on the inside. I caught a glimpse of a bed, a table, and shelves as Ferika slammed the door, locking it from the outside. Yumiko was a prisoner.
I clung to Talon as we continued down the hallway. Ferika pushed me into another room and Talon’s look grew increasingly desperate as the door slammed between us. Then the lock snapped outside my door.
I pitched myself face first on the bed, rolling quickly to my back. The brown quilt reeked of sigbin and evil. These rooms must have belonged to members of the herd we’d killed. Zaemon hadn’t joked, we were going to replace his fallen soldiers. I shuddered. The idea of serving a demon lord repulsed me. On the other hand, I knew I could never refuse and thereby sign the death warrant for all three of my friends.
Chapter 13
Time moved so slowly Zaemon’s palace seemed to exist in some sci-fi void. Life had gotten weird enough that such a concept could be plausible. I lay staring at the ceiling, waiting for anything to happen or to fall asleep. A soft noise at my door brought me back and I braced myself for the unknown. Who knew what wandered the halls in the palace of a demon lord. The door cracked open and a familiar green figure slipped inside.
“Talon?”
He gave me a wide grin and a wink. “You can’t keep a thief in with the locks they used.” He gave a push with his Hermes shoes and in a blur he tackled me, kissing my face all over. “There, you stupid girl. Do you understand my worry, now?”
I elbowed him. “Who’s the stupid one? I knew you wouldn’t give up and here you sit, the first to have broken out.”
He caught my arm and pressed me back into the pillows. “Who knows what service to Zaemon really means. We might not be allowed to be with each other. Since we only have one day as normal, let’s make good use of it, shall we?” He kissed my neck and my collarbone.
“Gross, Talon.” I flipped him off me and dumped him on the floor. “First off, can’t you smell this bed? The whole thing reeks of sigbin. I’m not fooling around on it. Second, if you really want to put this time to good use, let’s go get the others and get the hell out of here.”
He gave me a huge smile and let his eyes sparkle. “Too bad about the bed, but I guess rescuing everyone will be almost as much fun.”
I rolled off the bed and onto his lap. Grabbing his face, I planted a wild kiss on his lips. “What are we waiting for? Let’s do something completely insane.” I paused. “But they took all my weapons.”
Talon sighed and shook his head at me. “You didn’t even look around your room, did you? These belonged to palace guards. Evidently, they assume their defenses are strong enough inside the palace. They haven’t even bothered to empty the rooms, or at least mine.” He flipped up his shirt flashing two daggers and a sword he’d strapped to himself. “I also found magic rations. I’ve got one in every pocket. Let’s see what your room has.”
We poked around and found the quarters were similarly equipped. I armed myself with the same weapons Talon had chosen and slung a bow over my shoulder in case we found Omri or Yumiko without weapons. I poked through a drawer in the dresser and gasped. Pulling out the little jar I held it up for Talon to see.
“Jackpot.”
“Is that what I think it is?”
“Come here, I’ll put some on for you.”
Talon hurried to obey.
I opened the jar which was filled with a specialized healing cream. I doubted the cream would do anything for the already formed scars or the missing chunk of his ear, but for the internal damage which hadn’t fully healed, the cream would finish the job. Talon tipped his head so I could get at his neck, completely vulnerable and trusting. I swallowed hard both on my guilt and the fluttery feeling in my stomach.
“Let me know if I hurt you. I’ll try to be gentle.”
I took a glob on my fingers and smoothed the cream across the damaged skin. I made sure to get up onto his chin and down his shoulder and chest where all those muscles connected. I wanted him to be fully healed. Then I went back and started to rub the cream in. Talon leaned into me, making me stumble back.
“Geez, Talon. Stay upright.”
“You have no idea how good that feels.” His voice came out in a purr. “Everything is feeling right again. And to have you touching me at the same time.” He sighed. “Do you think the others would mind waiting an hour or so?”
I made a little growl at him and tried to hurry rubbing the rest in. When I’d finished he took the jar and pulled out a glob.
“You’re next. Where were your injuries?”
I blushed and shook my head. “I’m fine. Let’s go.”
He caught my arm with his clean hand. “I could see you working to look fine on our walk this morning. You still hurt. Where?”
My face flamed as I lifted the back of my shirt. I hadn’t checked out my injuries in a mirror, but I felt the angry scar which started on my left shoulder blade and wrapped around my chest. The wound went all the way under my left breast and ended over my ribs. He was right. I did still hurt. But letting him spread the cream along the scar’s full length made me want to squirm.
“Livy.” His eyes were full of pity. “Why didn’t you tell me you were hurt this badly?”
“Mine’s nothing compared to yours and Omri’s.”
“Yumiko said you pushed yourself to carry Omri despite this”—he gently touched the scar—” and you nearly bled out. Hold still, I’ll fix it for you.”
I trembled as his hand started on my back. I was afraid the rubbing might hurt but he hadn’t been exaggerating. My torso felt heavenly as the damaged tissues repaired themselves. He massaged in the cream, starting at my shoulder and followed the scar along my side. I blushed when his hand grazed close to my breast but surprisingly he focused on healing. I wasn’t sure how he managed, I certainly couldn’t. I lost track of the healing sensation, devoting my whole focus to the touch of his fingers on my skin. By the time he finished my ears were so hot they might actually catch fire. I also wished we could start over.
Talon screwed the lid on and tucked the jar in a pocket inside the chest of his shirt. “All better?” His voice cracked a little, and he blushed as he cleared his throat.
I nodded and straightened my shirt, following as he slipped out into the hall. We tiptoed along the corridor in silence. The fact we both had Hermes shoes playing in our favor. We fo
und Yumiko’s room without finding trouble and Talon made short work of the lock. She sat on the bed, armed and waiting as if she’d had no doubts we’d be along for her. I flashed her a smile as she took a spot behind me.
Talon led us to Omri’s quarters. I was curious how he knew exactly where to look for the others, but didn’t want to speak in the hall. He placed his hand on Omri’s lock and in a second his specialized magic had silently disabled the lock and we let ourselves in. Or at least we started to.
Talon got about halfway in the door before stopping short and giving a small choking noise. I had to stand on tiptoes to see over his shoulder. The sight in the room sent me falling forward into Talon. Knocking into his back, we both tumbled into the room. Yumiko backed into the wall with a thud. Talon moved like lightning, shutting the outside door and drawing his sword.
“What the hell?” he growled at Omri.
Omri sat on the bed, Ferika curled around him and . . . they were . . . kissing. Or at least they had been when Talon had stepped in. Now they were staring at us, Omri turning very red against his natural pale coloring.
“You can trust her,” Omri blurted.
“Yeah, but can we trust you?” Talon had his sword pointed at them both.
Behind me Yumiko started gasping for breath. I pulled her into a hug. She’d worked with Omri far longer. This must have come as a complete shock to her. She buried her face in my shoulder and refused to look at Omri.
Omri scrambled out of the dragoness’ coils. “Yumiko. Do you remember the fortune teller at Elita’s party before we left to find the source? Remember, she said I would find love in an unexpected place?”
Yumiko gripped me with her hands until I yelped. “I think she remembers. But I don’t think she’s very happy about your ‘unexpected place’.”
Omri gave me a piercing look with those aqua eyes. “Ferika’s heart is in better shape than most. She simply serves here because her family does. Without them she has nowhere to go. She can’t live on Earth, obviously. I saw her heart at the beginning and took the opportunity to get her alone.” He turned an even deeper red. “I had meant to try getting her to help us escape, since her heart is so good. But . . . she wants freedom from Zaemon. And, um, after discovering we have much in common. I, uh, I said she could have a place in Elita’s household if she could get us out of here.”
Yumiko scribbled frantically on her note pad. She handed the note to me to read aloud.
“The Lord won’t have her. You should know that.”
Now Omri’s neck and upper chest turned red, too. “I think he will if she’s my wife.”
“How, but, you only met her this morning?” I sputtered.
“I know her heart. What more do I need?”
His logic stopped me. He had a point. After all, isn’t that why people spent time dating? To learn about their significant other? To see if they would make an acceptable spouse or partner? If Omri already had the knowledge . . .
“But what about her? She can’t see your heart. And she’s a dragon, what if she’s lying? Or using you?” Talon protested.
“The heart can’t lie about its true nature. I would know if she were an evil dragoness,” Omri said, completely sure of himself. “And of course, she’s using me. She’s using me to get out of here and have a different life. The same way I’m using her to get out and get back to my life.”
Yumiko tapped me, handing me her paper.
“Yumiko doubts the Lord High Governor is going to overlook the fact that you’re a sphinx and she’s a dragon.” I wrinkled my nose at the paper. “It really matters that much?”
Omri’s confidence visibly wavered. “Well, normally pairings stay between members of magic family trees. We will face bias, but I think the Lord High Governor will see the benefits in this case.”
Talon snapped his mouth shut and lowered his sword. “All righty then. I’m not going to argue the finer points. Obviously, she’ll be useful getting out of here.”
Yumiko tapped my shoulder and handed me the pad.
“Yumiko wants to know if you’re sure. She’s worried you’re sacrificing yourself for the rest of us.”
Omri turned and took a surprisingly gentle claw in his hand. “I’m happy with this.”
Talon had started talking in low swift voices with Ferika and Omri.
“We still need to get Emmett and Elita,” I interrupted. “How are we supposed to do that?”
Ferika stretched her body out and slunk off the bed, twining between the four of us. “You can’t. Nor can you get out of here alive. All reasons you need me.” She narrowed her eyes at us. “I’ll relock your doors on my way to go get the others. Having them locked will take some heat off initially. Once we move we’re going to have to go fast.”
She coiled herself around Omri and tickled her snakeish tongue in his ear. “We’re pretty sure where your unicorn is. But this won’t be over once they’re bonded anymore. Zaemon doesn’t lose. He’ll see you’re punished for defying him. Believe it or not we’ll all be safest on Earth until Elita’s father can take the heat off us. Remember, the worst of Zaemon’s minions can’t be sent to Earth without retribution from the Lord High Governor. Even Zaemon won’t go so far. He’s not prepared for an all-out war.”
She’d uncoiled herself and moved to the door. “I have the power to create a gateway. But understand I’ll be feeding when we return to Earth. If I get your butts out I don’t want any complaints.”
We all shook our heads. I wasn’t a sparkly clean creature myself. Who was I to judge? Ferika slipped out the door and the room fell silent. A little over a half an hour later the door opened and Elita came in looking confused, followed by Emmett. A moment later Ferika slunk in.
“We have less than ten minutes to get outside the palace,” Ferika warned. “Any longer and someone is bound to notice the source and the princess are missing. Once we’re out I’ll take four of you. Omri will fly with Talon, since he’s the largest, to spare me a bit of the load. We’re running straight for the unicorn. He’ll bind you and we’ll get our butts to Earth as fast as possible. Use lethal force on anything after us. You aren’t going to want any of these bastards to have a grudge against you.”
“How are we getting out?” I looked nervously at the door.
“The sewer.” Ferika hawked out a ball of fire and the window melted. “Out we go.”
We followed Ferika out dropping about eight feet to a rooftop below. She opened an access port and pointed us down a metal ladder. Every nerve in my body buzzed. I wanted to do almost anything rather than go back in the dark.
I landed in slimy, ankle-deep water and hoped the sludge wouldn’t negatively affect my Hermes shoes. I blocked out every other thought of the water. Instead, I focused on the flickering orange glow which glinted off the curving walls of the shaft. Ferika had left her mouth open and the light shone up from deep inside her. I was more grateful than I could put in words to her for illuminating our way. Being blind sucked and I kept getting stuck in situations where I couldn’t see.
The tunnel disappeared into blackness above our heads, leaving a creepy feeling of the unknown hanging over me. Worse, the walls were made of something like smoke-colored glass and were nearly as slick. The idea of what the slime might have come from made me shudder.
For as short as her legs were Ferika moved astoundingly fast. I had to rush to keep up. Not that I wanted to linger. A faint twittering or squeaking bounced off the walls of the tunnel, reverberating until I had no idea which direction the noise came from.
“Blood bats,” Ferika hissed at us. “They’re going to go crazy at the first bloodshed. Our blood or theirs, doesn’t matter. One drop is enough to start a frenzy. But you’ll have to kill them, or they’ll drain you.”
The twittering got progressively louder and something dark brushed past
my head. A growl from Ferika rang off the walls and made my stomach clench. I had the impression many of those dark things hid in the shadows overhead. Not until the first made a try for Elita did I get a good look. I wished I hadn’t.
The blood bat had thick, shaggy brown fur, crusted in clumps from whatever it had previously fed on. The bat’s eyes shown an eerie red-orange when they caught the light and its fangs had to be at least three inches long. The creature came swooping in at Elita. She screamed and ducked at the same time Yumiko skewered the animal. She dislodged its body, which fell in the water with a splash. Then the tunnel erupted in total chaos, like watching videos of shark feeding frenzies on TV.
“Get behind me,” Ferika yelled. “I’m barbequing bat.”
We all ran, covering our heads. Pain shot up my arm, but I didn’t want to get roasted, so I ignored my wound and kept going. Ferika reared back and let out a stream of fire which singed me though I stood behind her. The bats shrieked for a moment before they burned in the inferno.
Suddenly, brown fur blocked my vision. I slashed with my blade, getting lucky and cutting straight across the creature’s face. The beast fell but not before the throbbing started.
“Get the healing cream on her.”
Maybe Ferika screamed, or maybe the horrible noise came from me. My skin was stretching. I almost wished it would rupture. Surely the pain of my skin splitting would be less than the pain of it trying to hold my swelling body in.
There might have been several sets of hands rubbing cream on me. I couldn’t really tell because every inch of me burned like I’d caught fire. The flames would burst forth when my skin finally split. As they got the cream rubbed in, the searing heat gave way and my body began to return to normal.
