Neverwylde (15 page)

           
Or there could be another reason why the leniency.

           
“Why don’t they just kill us and be done with it?” Jules whispered.

            Fullgrath grunted. “It’s gotta be a power trip kind of thing.”

            “I agree,” Mellori said. “The D’har believes he’s invincible, now that Kyber’s out the way.”

            At the mention of Kyber’s name, an invisible hand reached inside her chest and squeezed. Kelen bowed her head and fought to breathe. More than that, she tried to eradicate images of him being attacked by eye worms, or some formless shape that howled as it tried to kill him.

            Fullgrath, who sat next to her, noticed her silent agony and leaned over. “He’s going to be okay, Kel. Kyber’s a survivor. If anyone can get us out of this predicament, he can. We just gotta have faith.”

            “He’s wounded, Sid. He’s weak, and he has no weapons.”

            “Hey. Buck up, Lieutenant. The guy didn’t get to be a Por D’har by being a pansy.”

            She snorted, a tiny smile emerging. The ex-weapons master always knew how to raise her spirits. The man was the crew’s unofficial cheerleader. Giving Fullgrath a wink, she gave a nod to Jules.

            “I’m wondering why the Seneecians are allowing us to talk to each other.” She shot a quick look at Massapa and discovered the creature intently watching her. An unidentifiable expression crossed his face, but it was difficult for her to figure out what he was trying to tell her.

            “Yeah,” Jules agreed. “You’d think they’d expect us to keep our mouths shut, in case we try to plan some sort of escape.”

            “Maybe that’s exactly what they want us to do.” Sandow voiced what Kelen had been thinking.

            “Why?” Jules questioned.

            “Because they don’t like the D’har,” she announced. “They want Kyber to be their commander.”

            “I think they’re scared of the D’har, too,” Mellori added.

            Kelen glanced back at Massapa as she kept her head down. “There’s nothing we can do as long as we’re tied up…is there?”

            Fullgrath re-crossed his legs and grunted in pain. “I don’t think we can expect them to help us if and when we do try to take down the D’har. That commander is holding those guys hostage, the same way he’s holding us prisoner. They don’t dare do anything to piss him off because, on the rare chance a Seneecian ship does find its way here, once they get back to their home world, their lives are screwed. Their careers are screwed. Hell, I wouldn’t doubt if punishment extends to their families.”

            A loud thumping on the panel signaled someone’s return. Verin opened the portal and the D’har entered the apartment. The commander’s face was flush. His blue eyes almost sparkled, but something told Kelen the man wasn’t happy. He was agitated. Irritated. And maybe looking for a way to blow off steam. Her body went tense with expectation.

            The D’har’s gaze scoured the huddled group of Terrans. He stopped to focus on Kelen, then walked up and stood over her.

            “My recently released Por D’har made it clear you have no aversion to pleasuring our kind.”

“Put your hand on me again, fuzz face, and I’ll remove your balls with my teeth.”

            He reached down, grabbing her upper arm and jerking her to her feet. A hard shove toward the door made her stumble, but Kelen regained her balance. Standing defiantly, legs slightly parted, she didn’t try to mask her anger.

            “You are
jeevitt
. You will obey me,” the D’har growled at her.

            “You’re full of shit if you think that’ll fly with me.” She kept her head down, her eyes forward, in a posture she hoped he would assume as threatening. She knew that if it came down to the worst, she wouldn’t be able to fight him. Inflict some damage, yes. Maybe get in a few good kicks, some scratches, and a bite or two.
Oh, how I would love to take a chunk out of him.
But in the end, she knew she’d lose. She’d already accepted the inevitable. She just wouldn’t go without a fight.
            The D’har never gave her threat a second thought. He charged toward her, lifted his hand again, and brought it down hard against the side of her face.

Pain exploded like a fireball of white heat and light. She was unaware of flying sideways, until she collided with the wall. Blood filled her mouth. In the background, she could hear the noise her crew members made as they yelled in protest, but their words were thick and indiscernible.

A hand grabbed her by the shoulder. The doorway slid into the floor, and she was shoved out into the middle of the nonagon. Behind her, the D’har continued to prod her, herding her in the direction of the next apartment. Whatever the Seneecian had planned for her, he intended to do it in private.

Kelen tried to resist, but the strain on her arms caused by the restraints binding her wrists behind her back had robbed all feeling from her hands. She had difficulty focusing. She had greater difficulty believing this creature would leave her alone once he was done with her. A shudder of revulsion went through her at the thought of him using her repeated times. Or, more disgusting, handing her over to his men for their entertainment.

Keep strong, Chambliss. Be resilient. Be a survivor. You can do it.

The apartment door dropped down, and a hard blow landed between her shoulder blades. Falling forward, she hit the rocky floor on her stomach and chin. Her teeth slammed together, sending more shards of agony through her bruised face. When she came to rest, she noticed she’d left a trail of blood from where the skin had been peeled away from her chin.

The D’har straddled her. Grabbing her again by the upper arm, he rolled her onto her back. Kelen stared up to see the Seneecian grinning maliciously at her. As he bent over to bring his face closer to hers, she spit out the clot of blood she’d held in her mouth. It struck him on the side of his broad, flat nose and left cheek, and splattered into his eye.

The D’har roared in anger. Lifting his hand, he extended his claws and brought them down across her breasts. Kelen screamed as her blouse shredded upon contact and the talons raked over her skin. The cuts weren’t deep but blood welled, covering her chest with its warmth.

He reached for her again. Kelen shrieked again, but this time she managed to tuck her legs, getting her feet above her hips. As the Seneecian swiped at her again, she gave a hard kick. It caught him in the chest and sent him staggering backwards with a grunt. Taking the momentary opportunity, she rolled sideways toward the doorway. If she was lucky, if she was very, very lucky, she might be able to get to her feet and make a run for it. She had no idea how fast the commander could run, but she was willing to bet an adrenaline-boosted Terran might be able to elude him. If only for a short time.

She managed to bring herself up on one knee when the D’har advanced on her like a demon. She tried to get to her feet, but her head continued to spin, keeping her off-balance. Resolutely, Kelen watched as the D’har descended with his teeth fully extended.

There was a puff of smoke, a flash of light, and the faint sound of something discharging. She stared in shock as the D’har abruptly paused. His body went rigid, his eyes unfocused, and then he dropped face-first onto the floor.

Behind him, Dox stood with his arm extended, a small device held in his hand. As he looked up from the frozen figure, he gave her a quick smile.

“Hello, Kelen. Let’s go.”

“My hands…”

The little man hurried around to her back. She felt a couple of tugs on the bindings, and she was freed. Kelen gasped as pins and needles raced up and down her arms, when Dox grabbed her by the waistband of her pants and tugged.

“Gotta go now.”

            She nodded and followed him over to the rear of the apartment where he had entered from the secondary doorway. Taking one last look at the downed Seneecian, she accepted Dox’s proffered hand and let him lead her into the darkness.

Chapter 22

Escape

            “Dox, where are we going?”

            They were moving through the tunnel with only the glow of the small tube light to show them the way. The little man moved fast, making it hard for her to keep up with him. Her whole body ached, but she also knew that if she stopped to rest, those abused muscles could seize up, causing her more pain, and delay their escape.

            The atmosphere in the corridor was warm and slightly humid. It felt good on her bare skin, until a drop of sweat rolled down her chest and into the claw marks. She gritted her teeth against the sting.

            “Dox, where are you taking me?”

            As before, the little man didn’t answer. He was genetically engineered to be single-minded, focused on one thing at a time. He was heading for some location or destination, which meant he couldn’t answer her question.

            Snagging his arm, she made him stop, turning him around to face her. Holding her hands in front of his face, she made the motions she’d been trained to do in order to visually reset Dox’s brain. His eyes followed her signals until she made the last movement. He blinked, looked up at her, and she could almost see his attention realign itself. His reaction was like watching the tumblers in an old-fashioned lock fall into place.

Kelen stuck her face closer to his. “Dox, is the D’har dead? Did you kill him?”

            “No.”

            She took a deep breath. She didn’t know if she was happy or disappointed at the admission. She was unsure if Dox could feel regret or guilt but since he hadn’t killed the Seneecian, his emotional health was not going to be an issue. On the other hand, if the D’har still lived, they now had a highly pissed off alien leader who wouldn’t hesitate to kill them.

            “Where are you taking us?”

            His eyes lowered to her bared breasts. Unexpectedly, he shrugged out of his shirt and handed it to her.

            “Wear this.”

            She took the shirt and slipped it over her head. It was a bit small on her, but it gave her some modesty.

            “Thank you, but won’t you get cold?”

            Dox shook his head, making his red hair bounce. “No,” he simply replied, then turned and continued down the tunnel.

            “Dox?” She started to ask him how he managed to bypass the sealed door to the apartment where the D’har had taken her, but changed her mind. If anybody could get around the locking mechanism, it would be Dox.

            She’d asked him three times where they were going. Either he didn’t know, or he didn’t know how to tell her. She decided to switch questions.

            “Dox? Did you sabotage the Seneecian weapons?”

            “No. Not sabotaged. Slowed down.”

            She chuckled. “Slowed down?” She remembered Mellori’s comment about the recharging moving at a trickle. “You deliberately made sure the D’har and his men would have to wait a long time for their weapons to get recharged. Why, Dox? Eventually, they’ll be at full strength.”

            He paused to glance back at her. “Not for a long time.”

            Kelen chuckled to herself. One never knew what the little man would do, much less understand what would spur him on to do it. She opened her mouth to ask him her initial question again, when Dox added a surprising remark.

            “Don’t trust the new ones.”

            She took a deep breath. “The news ones? You mean the new Seneecians? You don’t trust all three? Or just the D’har?”

            “The white one.”

            The D’har. She nodded to herself. Dox had extraordinary insight. On many occasions she’d seen him do or say things that led her to believe he might be psychic. It wouldn’t be the first time a specially-bred isotope baby developed those skills. With Dox singling out the D’har as the only Seneecian he didn’t trust, it gave her hope that the other two men accompanying the commander would quickly join their ranks once the D’har was removed.

           
Removed? Or killed? Would taking him down a peg or two be enough to quell the man’s temperament?

           
At this point, she seriously doubted it.

“Dox, where are we going?”

“To find Kyber.”

She didn’t expect that reply, and she felt her heart lurch with expectation.

“Do you know where Kyber is?”

He flashed her a brief smile. “Down the tunnel.”

“Yes, I know that. He headed toward the garden—”

“No. Going the other way,” the little man continued.

Kelen frowned in confusion. “What other way?” She tried to fix the map of the nonagon in her mind, but her memory was hazy. “Are you talking about the third tunnel? The one we haven’t explored?”

Dox bobbed his head once and pointed down the dark throat of the corridor extending in front of them. “Toward the emptiness.”

She started. “Toward the what?”

“Toward the emptiness. You know. The rim.”

Now she was completely confused. “Dox, are you talking about that big ledge that extends out beyond the edge of this world? Out over the chasm, into space?”

In answer, Dox turned and continued walking, leaving her no choice but to follow.

“Dox, that ledge is up outside the temple. We’re not moving up. We’re remaining level.”

He remained silent, making her wonder if she should stop him again and refocus him in order to answer her questions. But before she reached for his arm, he paused and held up a closed fist, the signal for her to be alert and quiet. Kelen paused to listen.

Click.

She eased up next to him. Clutching his arm, she placed her mouth next to his ear.

“What is that?”

Click, click.

It was coming from directly in front of them.

“Don’t like,” he muttered so softly, she almost didn’t catch it.

Kelen took a step back. “Come on, Dox. Let’s find another way. There has to be another route.” Behind her, she could feel a slight breeze blowing across her back. They must be near one of those air vents that honeycombed the underground areas.