Cogs in Time Anthology (The Steamworks Series) (17 page)

His breathing slowed to match that of the woman holding him, and his eyes closed as he tried to refocus his mind. The smell of burnt brush reached his nose. A gentle purring issued from the woman beside him, and he knew it hadn’t been a dream. He was still a prisoner. He reached to pull away the nightmare-inducing poultice, but his hand came away with only a damp cloth.

“I removed it once the dreams began,” Quanda whispered, her voice thick with sleep. She kept him tightly wrapped in her arms. “I did not expect such a horrific reaction.” She brushed back a strand of hair that had fallen across her face.

Domaroc allowed himself to relax. Despite the dreams, his body felt purified, the wound on his head had healed and the pain ceased. His heartbeat held the same rhythm as Quanda’s and he granted himself a moment of worry.

“You’ll be able to travel in a day or two,” she said.

“Travel where?” he asked and turned to face her, his unused muscles protesting the slight motion.

“Back to your ship.” Domaroc brought a hand to her face and traced deep, fresh claw marks that marred her features. They shone with thick salve. 

“What happened?”

“Another set of prey was brought in; fresher, stronger than your crew. Your Navarro joined them in a revolt against the Ranar. My clan is no more. I was spared to care for you. In the
condition you were in, you could not be moved far and your medicine men wanted nothing to do with clan medicine.”

Dom tensed in her arms. “Navarro is back at the airship?”

“Yes,” she replied. She pulled away and started to get up. “I should get him. You could be carried back now.”

Snapping branches drew their attention to the other side of the clearing. Navarro stepped forward. “No need. Quanda, give us a moment.”

She pushed herself away from Domaroc and scrambled into the submissive posture the kit had exhibited to her, on all fours with her forehead to the ground. “As you wish,” she replied, before standing. She held her head high with her shoulders back, but her eyes showed her defeat as she turned and left.

Navarro sat beside Domaroc. He was nearly unrecognizable. His once long locks were hacked short and a purple hued bruise covered his left eye. He smiled, and a new gap was present on his lower jaw. “I am glad you are well.” 

Domaroc shook his head. “I failed you.”

“Not your fault you cracked your head open. I should have listened to you in the first place and made the crew sleep in the ship despite the smoke. Didn’t expect an air-born sleeping drug. Just count yourself lucky for having Quanda as your mistress. That cat has class, unlike the Lady Supreme.” Navarro ran his right hand through his short hair.

Domaroc watched the motion but turned away when he caught himself staring.

Navarro noticed and held his hand out. “Real nice, don’t you think?” The second and third fingers were bandaged with a splint, but they remained crooked. “She broke them at the first sign of rebellion to keep me from using a sword.”

“Too bad for her, you fight with your left hand.”

Navarro grinned and looked at his good hand. “Yeah, she needed me to be able to work.”

“While I lay on my back doing nothing,” Domaroc said, turning his head away so he did not see the ruined face of his commander.
              “Lay off it, Dom. I saw the wound you had. Your fight was worse than ours. I don’t think Quanda told you the half of it. Plus, by the time you get back to the ship, you’ll be the most able-bodied crewman I got.” Navarro clapped Domaroc on the back.

“Are all her clan dead?”

Navarro shook his head. “The clan’s dead because their Lady Supreme is dead. Several slunk away during the fight, but they are leaderless.”

“How’d she get the claw marks on her face?”

The grin widened and Navarro let out a chuckle. “Defending you.”

Domaroc flinched at the thought. “How?”

“Some of the one’s that got away came back wanting revenge. You were the target, and she would have none of that,” the commander replied soberly.

Domaroc opened his mouth to speak, but Navarro held up his hand for silence.

“Now you want to know why I let her stay and take care of you. Dom, if you saw the state of the crew you’d understand. We could hardly nurse ourselves, much less a delusional crewmate. We don’t know what was in the mixture she put on your head. She offered to be your caretaker, and she was never cruel to anyone, outside of warrior discipline. Saw no reason she shouldn’t finish her work. She actually fixed up a lot of the wounded. Might even ask her to be ship’s doctor.”

“You can’t do that,” said Domaroc.

Navarro was taken aback. “Why not?”

“She doesn’t belong to our world. The Cat Clans are thought to be a myth. We take her out of the jungle and she’ll never know a moment’s peace. She’ll be gawked at and laughed at. You said it before, she’s got class and that would kill her. She is a proud woman.”

Navarro laughed. “I’d almost think you’d fallen for her if I didn’t know you better. Don’t worry; she’s already declined the offer. Once we leave, she plans to form her own clan. Many who ran will follow her, and there are plenty of young kits looking for a clan.

“You’re a bastard, Navarro,” Domaroc muttered.
             

“True, but I am your leader, and I will see you in two days’ time. That should be enough time for you to recover.” Navarro stood, and after scanning the clearing one last time he left.

Domaroc shook his head and laid back down. He felt, rather than heard, Quanda return and curl up beside him. Her body lending the extra warmth he suddenly needed. Only two days before he’d be home.

***

A high-pitched whining noise roused Domaroc from his slumber. Quanda was nowhere to be seen, and it was, according to the stars he could see, late into the night. He tried to place the sound that was foreign to the jungle, and until it changed to a consistent hum, he couldn’t.

“The airship!” he shouted and tried to scramble to his feet on legs that wouldn’t support him.

Quanda was at his side before he fell to the ground. “This way, Kitten.” She supported him as his unused legs remembered how to walk.

“What’s going on, Quanda?” Domaroc asked as he pushed some vines away from their path.

“The men who helped Navarro revolt have betrayed him. They have killed most of the crew and taken your ship.” Quanda forced him to a faster pace.

“Not all of the crew?”

“Some chose to go with the betrayers.”

He tripped over a root and asked, “What of Navarro?”

“He wasn’t in the camp at the time. I am taking you to him.”

“How far is he?” Domaroc asked pulling her down as he tried to stand.

After a few yards of going through more thick jungle, Quanda pushed aside the curtain of foliage to reveal the original camp clearing. Navarro was pacing between two fire pits, cursing up at the departing airship.

The hum of the airship faltered, replaced by the screeching of metal grinding against metal.

“The converter!” Domaroc groaned. “We need to get out of the clearing.” He pulled Quanda back.

“What are you doing, Dom?” Navarro shouted.

“Listen to it!” Domaroc pointed to the ship. “The converter is overloading!”

Navarro’s eyes widened as he realized what Domaroc was talking about and started to sprint out of the clearing as the converter exploded.

Parts of the falling airship rained down on the clearing and surrounding jungle.

Before Domaroc could react, Quanda pushed him into a large, hollowed-out tree. She disappeared for a moment before returning.

“The ship is down and the jungle is on fire. We need to leave quickly,” she said.

“What of Navarro?” he asked, staring at the flames that were starting to creep closer.

“He is unconscious in the clearing,” she answered pulling at his arm to make him come with her.

“We have to rescue him.”
              She shook his head. “You can barely walk and he’s dead weight. I’d rather take my chance with you.”

“I can’t just leave him! He’s my leader.”

“Kitten, you can’t be serious?” She rolled her eyes. “Remember what I told you the Ranar’s belief of fallen warriors is?” Quanda turned from him.

“Quanda, I can’t do it without you.” He grabbed her wrist. “The Ranar are no more!”

She turned back, slashing out with her claws. “Because of him!
He
,” she pointed to the clearing, “killed my clan.”

“Quanda,” Domaroc’s expression softened. “By taking care of me, you abandoned your clan.”

“You, I will look after. Fate has decided to leave him. Now are you coming or not?”

Domaroc followed Quanda out of the hollow tree and looked to the clearing. In spite of the past day’s rain, the dead underbrush was burning fast and the flames were almost upon them. Even if Navarro were alive, there was no way to get to him. He turned to the feline female. “Where do we go?”

“Neutral ground.” She started away from the flames.

With a final look back to the clearing of the fallen airship, Domaroc followed her.

“How far?” he asked.

“Not very. The Ranar lands are burning, and other clans will come to observe. They will know the Ranar territory is available and try to claim it. You won’t be safe here. They will look for human survivors.”

The path Quanda was leading him down ended at a cliff face. She squeezed behind a tree growing close to the rocks and disappeared into a mass of vines.

Domaroc tried to follow her, but couldn’t find the hidden opening. The vines were too thick and only when she grabbed his wrist and pulled him through did he find the cave. He skinned his shin on the ledge as he stepped onto the step just inside the entrance.

“This passage leads to the Sacred Lands,” she said.

“Will the other clans even know of this passage?”

“Not right away. Perhaps their scouts will miss it, but I don’t wish to chance it. We will move in deeper before resting.”

“What of the fire?”

“The ground is saturated with rain.” Quanda kept a hold on his wrist as she moved farther into the cave passage. “There should be some supplies hidden up ahead.”

“Wait a moment,” said Domaroc as he forced Quanda to stop. “Don’t you hear voices?”

“It could be remnants of the Ranar; only they would know of this place.”

He stopped and pulled her closer to him. “Haven’t the remnants attacked you once?”

“Those who attacked, cannot attack again. Those who are here are likely kits. We shall see.” She let go of his wrist and moved a little farther into the darkness.

Domaroc shook his head and stumbled forward, knowing her feline eyes were far better suited for the darkness.

“Are you coming, Kitten?” Quanda asked.

Before Domaroc could answer, a small furred hand covered his mouth and a flint knife pressed to his throat. “You were the injured one?” a woman’s voice growled in his ear.

Domaroc tried to nod as much as the blade would allow.

The sound of a scuffle reached Domaroc’s ears.

“Do you have the human, Duva?” A male voice called out.

“Yes, he cannot see well, but his hearing is keen,” replied the person holding him.

“We have the usurper. Bring the human to me.”

The female whispered to Domaroc, “Will you give me trouble if I move my hand?”

Domaroc shook his head.

She removed the knife from his throat and moved her hand to his shoulder.

“Who are you?” he asked.

“Duva, Lady Supreme of Clan Zeri. One of our spies informed us what happened to the Ranar.”

“What happened to the Ranar? You mean Navarro’s rebellion?” Domaroc asked.

“You mean Quanda’s treason. I doubt she told you everything. Uncover the lanterns,” Duva commanded.

Domaroc closed his eyes at the sudden invasion of light as several crystal lanterns were opened. When he opened them, he saw Quanda bound on the floor with a large, blue-gray male feline towering over her. Two other males were in the cavern and a brown kit, which Domaroc recognized as Ndim.

“What’s going on?” Domaroc asked.

The blue-gray male stepped forward. “I am Onic, Lord Supreme of the Zeri. I have claimed the land of the Ranar and am punishing the one who has failed her clan.”

Domaroc looked at Onic for a moment then turned to Duva and stepped away from her, surprised at the number of battle scars covering her white body. Only the hand that had covered his mouth was unmarked.

“Forgive my mate, he doesn’t always explain himself, but let us get out of this cave. We are not far from the Sacred Lands.” With her icy blue eyes, Duva glared at Onic for a moment before starting forward. “Ndim, go check the spread of the flames. Check for survivors if you can get close.”

The brown kit sprinted out of the cave.

“You cannot punish me in the Neutral Lands!” Quanda cried, as one of the other males hefted her over his shoulder.