Authors: Elle Amour
As Gunnvir circled, trying to catch her breath, Jinn knew
her plan worked.
“You dance like a Svendian,” the woman snarled.
With Gunnvir’s viciousness, something snapped inside Jinn.
The warrior within her exploded. Jinn didn’t know if it was fear or anger but
at this point, she didn’t care. The female only wanted to dish out pain to
others. Jinn had had enough. Gunnvir made another thrust but a weakness showed
that Jinn had noted from previous bouts. The woman often failed for a few
microseconds to keep her guard to her left side, especially around her head.
Instinct ruled Jinn’s charge. Her body vibrated with
adrenaline as she jumped high into the air with a backward spin and landed a
heel kick against the other’s temple. While still in the air, she rotated her
hips and followed the strike with a swift kick, using her other leg. Both blows
landed squarely against Gunnvir’s head but Jinn controlled the strikes so that
they would hurt the woman but not damage her.
Jinn’s opponent folded at the waist. Before Gunnvir could
straighten, Jinn landed, completing the circle while using an elbow strike to
the woman’s back shoulder, avoiding the finite area in the middle of her upper
back that could kill her, should a strike hit true.
With Gunnvir’s grunts, Jinn knew she had the day. Before the
woman toppled over, Jinn kneed her in the chest. A final blow.
The woman curled up and hit the ground gasping for air.
“You…bitch, I’ll…get you.”
With Jinn’s experience, she knew Gunnvir wasn’t impaired,
just in pain—as Jinn had planned. Still, Jinn had no pleasure in that, even if
the female was hateful. As the med tech ran to look Gunnvir over, Jinn swerved
and paced to her place by Ragnar, wishing she hadn’t been so violent—and hoping
no one would suspect she was more than what she appeared.
Ragnar jumped to greet her, grasping her in a warm hug and
Saehildr and some others patted her on the back. “By the ancestors,” Ragnar
said, holding her at arm’s length, “where did you learn those techniques?”
Jinn dropped her chin, feeling timid for some reason. “I
told you I knew more than what I’d been trained by the military.”
“Damn.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and escorted
her back. “Proud of you. Why didn’t you show some of that before?”
She shrugged as she sat down between Saehildr and Ragnar.
“Don’t know. I guess because it wasn’t what I’d learned here.”
“By the ancestors, don’t ever do that again. You get in a
fight, you pull out all the stops.”
Jinn allowed herself a small smile. “Okay.”
“And that’s how I would expect a miner from Themisto to
train.”
Jinn and the others turned toward the gruff voice. Mace
separated the crowd as he strode to her. “Better.” He nodded, still giving her
a look that questioned her abilities. Then he moved passed her and pulled
Krystal of Blendor far enough aside that no one could hear their discussion.
With Mace gone, Saehildr let out a small whoop and hugged her.
“Wow, even Mace congratulated you. That’s a first. Can you teach me those
moves?”
Hamner, Saehildr’s partner, laughed. “You have to be agile
like her. You’ll have to work on that.”
Saehildr’s face screwed up like a lemon. “Then I will. I’ll
practice all the time. You never know when we’ll be at war with the Svendians
again. I might need it.”
Jinn swallowed and looked around the circle as another bout
started. Right now, these were her friends, her comrades.
If she didn’t bond with Drakkar, they could soon be her
enemies.
The stretcher carrying Gunnvir passed behind Jinn, but
Gunnvir couldn’t let the moment pass. She grabbed Jinn’s long braid and pulled
herself closer, keeping her voice low for only Jinn to hear. “I meant what I
said. I’ll get you, bitch. Any way I can.”
Jinn shook it off as she stared at Mace in the distance. His
posture said something was wrong. And Jinn’s gut told her that the “something”
had to do with her. Gunnvir hissed in her ear before the med techs rushed her
off. Jinn didn’t care. Right now, Gunnvir was the least of her problems.
* * * * *
“She’s a saucy one, for sure.” Karl, the camp leader
snickered. “So are you even close to finding Craddock?”
“No.” Drakkar sneered, letting the others believe that it
was Drakkar’s worry with the pursuit that caused his foul temper. But it was
more than that. Karl had been a family friend for many solar cycles yet Drakkar
didn’t like the familiarity the camp commandant seemed to have with his
bondsmate.
Mace looked away as if in thought then eyed Drakkar with a
measured gaze. “She fought like a berserker today. Took out our number-one
woman fighter.” He lowered his tone, yet eyed Drakkar with intensity. “She’s
extremely committed to this. More so than normal. There’s some devil driving
her. Something more than her desire to prove her skills, I’m sure of that.
Otherwise she wouldn’t be so dogmatic in her pursuit. I’ve seen this before. My
gut tells me she isn’t going to stop unless she’s dead.”
Drakkar agreed but he wasn’t sure exactly what it was that
drove her, only that it had something to do with her uncle. “Any ideas?”
Mace shook his head. “No, but if she passes the gantlet
tomorrow…” He looked away again. “The challenges she’ll face in this last phase
will break her, one way or another.” He turned his head. His eyes met
Drakkar’s. “You know Ragnar can’t protect her now. Not completely.”
“I know.” A chill took Drakkar. The challenge in and of
itself was enough but with someone after Jinn…. “That’s why I brought Sasha.
She’ll watch over her. I just hope Jinn won’t notice.”
“The wolf?” Karl huffed. “She’ll use the girl’s scent. She
won’t get close. Jinn isn’t
that
good.”
Mace’s gaze met Drakkar’s once again, an understand clear
between the two of them, knowing that with Jinn’s skills as a tracker, she
could very well tell who followed.
“I’ll do what I can.” The lead trainer gave a curt nod.
The harshness in Mace’s voice told Drakkar all he needed to
know. The lead trainer would do whatever it took to keep Jinn safe, including
sacrificing himself.
* * * * *
Weeks had gone by and still Hunter had not found Craddock’s
lair—but he was close. At this point, timing was crucial, and the only way to
ensure he was on target was to wait.
And wait.
Especially on this key rooftop in this scummy alley of
Broukosa. He hated this part of tracking a prey but as some philosopher once
said, “knowledge is power.” That, Hunter had gathered as he patiently followed
and watched. At least he had learned enough to know how involved the Nyphosians
were in this little secret tête-à-tête. Well, how involved Hypatia and Knossos
were. They were somehow working together, but to what end?
Even with Knossos’s speed, Hunter had been able to trace his
trail from that first night when he left the temple’s basement. Knossos had
left something in a notch in the wall of the building across from where Hunter
now planted himself. Afterward, Hunter had been able to watch Hypatia do the
same. Since then, he’d tracked the two of them a few times. Standing back, he’d
seen Cassius come to retrieve their cache only once.
And once was enough. Hunter knew the signs. Cassius’s
internal radar must have blipped then, telling the bio that danger lurked.
Hunter didn’t risk being seen again, not until he was ready. He didn’t want to
chase Cassius away from this contact point. Hunter had already used up too much
time.
But now Hunter was set. All he needed was one opening, one
break to make the shot.
So he waited, thought, and waited some more. Thank God his
father agreed with him. If Knossos was involved then it stood that Sophos was
involved as well, but how? And on whose side? His father assured him the
Nyphosian mediator had to be on the side of good. The woman’s frustration in
trying to reconcile the two warring factions had been more than apparent with his
grandmother and with Rurik himself, but if that were true then another question
arose.
Was Cassius a good guy or a bad one? Was he even a guy? The
Galactic Quorum had deemed the bios as property but Hunter knew his sister
Mercedes balked at that. Was she right?
To Hunter, Knossos seemed more man than machine but with
Cassius’s ruthless reputation, Hunter had to wonder. Was he just some advanced
techno-gadget that followed orders? Hunter wasn’t sure. According to most, the
bio had no scruples at all but Mercedes seemed to think that view a pack of
lies and that someone had manipulated the Quorum to deem the bios as
electromechanical wonders. If this was true, Hunter could only think of one
person who would have done that—and that was the man he was after.
And if that was the case, did Sophos want her own revenge?
After all, her son Knossos had suffered from it. But would she do that at the
expense of Cassius? Was that why she agreed to give Cassius to Craddock so long
ago?
Hunter shook his head. Another reason why he sat in this
stinking hellhole. Waiting. Wanting to know the truth.
He exhaled with an eerie silence, seeking, scanning even the
darkest corners with his old-Earth night vision binoculars. Soon enough someone
would show—especially now that Rurik had left the planet, supposedly with
Hunter in tow.
Little did the Nyphosians know.
Still, Captain Nasgorov’s ship, a part of Rurik’s fleet, had
arrived then stayed behind when the
Punisher
, his father’s ship, left.
The captain’s crew needed the rest, at least that’s the excuse they used. In
reality, Tema Nasgorov and her select crew stood ready, cloaking Hunter as best
as possible, and when Hunter gave the signal, her troops would flood the
area—quickly—and get Craddock out before the Telrusians even knew what hit
them.
That was the plan. With some well-placed bribes by Captain
Nasgorov, Hunter had sat on the roof for almost four days now.
He rubbed the hand guard that covered the barrel of his M-4
rifle, another weapon he’d had on him when Aunt Jinn captured him on Earth. The
rifle had been his friend in many a scrape. Now Hunter hoped it would do the
trick against the bio.
A low whistle blew through the adjoining alley. The damn
wind had picked up again. Hunter wondered if it would rain. There was some movement
below. A few bruisers trolled the alley and turned the corner, passing under
the dim globe light that had been attached to one of the far buildings.
A couple of kids with a few painted ladies came through
about twenty minutes later then for a while the alley quieted.
Or so Hunter thought. His eyes never left the cache point.
But suddenly a dark, caped figure appeared, moving faster than Hunter had, at
first, realized. The figure glanced around and then worked to ease open the
cache.
A gust burst through the alley, making some jingling sounds
as it scattered the trash around. Hunter rapidly eased the safety off and fired
three shots. The figured dropped.
“Bingo.” Hunter had him. Quickly, Hunter dropped the chain
ladder he had ready over the side of the building. Speed was essential. His
shots had been well-placed to maim the bio, not kill, but Hunter was well aware
of Cassius’s ability to heal himself. He scurried down the rungs, jumping the
last few feet and swerving, pointing his rifle directly at the bio’s chest.
Somehow Cassius had stood. The sight unnerved Hunter but he
didn’t let it stop him. “Don’t move. You jerk an inch and I’m blowing your
brains and heart out. Put these on. Now. Or I’ll do you in anyway.” Hunter
tossed a pair of the techno-handcuffs to the man/machine who caught them with a
bloodied grip.
Red oozed from the holes in the bio. A lot. Yet somehow
Cassius was able to prop himself against the wall. The man even huffed with a
crocked smile as he locked the last cuff on.
Hunter kept his position and activated the transporter
signal.
“You can’t take me.” Crimson fluid dripped from the corner
of the bio’s mouth as Cassius closed his eyes.
“Why is that?” Hunter wouldn’t drop his aim and all he had
to do was press one more button to get them both onto Nasgorov’s cruiser.
“Because you can’t defeat Craddock without me.”
Hunter knew he should press the button before the bio was
able to heal himself but something about the situation made him pause.
“Why is that?”
“Because he’s the only connection we have to Craddock and to
find all the other conspirators, we need Craddock. He is a key rebel leader.”
The voice floated from the dark at Hunter’s left then Knossos stepped from the
blackness.
“I told you someone had found us.” A spittle of blood oozed
from Cassius’s mouth as he rolled his head against the brick to look at
Knossos.
The Nyphosian ran to him. “We need to get you to the
temple.”
Cassius shook his head. “I’m healing. Slowly. My body is
trying to cope with the plugs of metal in me.” He studied Hunter, a smirk on
his face. “Very clever of you to use ancient weapons. Much more deadly in my
case.”
“I’m supposed to take you back so that we can excise that
chip in you.”
“Might be too late for all of that.” Cassius struggled to
stay standing but now he just let himself slide down the wall.
Hunter glared at Knossos. “I’m taking him with me. I want
you along. I believe Captain Nasgorov and my father will have some questions
for you.”
A weak beam of light passed over Knossos’s face from the
swinging light globe. Hunter watched him swallow and slowly nod.
Then Hunter initiated the transport beam.
“I heard there’s a Svendian spy among us.” For some reason,
the worry in Saehildr’s voice amused Jinn, even though she wondered if someone
had actually let the word out that she was here.
“Don’t laugh,” Saehildr scolded, “I heard he was in the
program.”
He?
Thank the ancestors! It had to be a prank. Jinn
sucked in a breath of the crisp morning air and shrugged. “Come on, Saehildr.
Seriously, how could that happen? It’s probably just a ruse from the staff to
make us worry more. They’re making it as hard as they can, even in the
psychology department, so don’t let it get to you unless you have solid proof.
Besides, have you seen anyone who looks like a Svendian?”
“Pixie’s right,” Saehildr’s partner, agreed. “Don’t think
about the flack. We’ve got enough in front of us now. The final gantlet. If you
make it, you go onto the last phase. Pay attention to everyone else’s run.
Watch the timing. You have to get through before you’re blasted. Even though
the fire won’t kill you, the rays are made to inflict damage, so be sharp. You
get hit enough times and you won’t make it.”
“Pfff,” Saehildr snorted daintily. “Pixie and I will make it
even if we have to crawl!”
Hamner chuckled but stopped when they called the names for
the lineup.
Jinn became the seventh runner, right after six of the top
elite males. From where she stood she could barely see over the top of the
course but what she could see made her cringe. Three phases, each having a
different contour and a trail that led downward through a series of protruding
rocks and canyons. There would be nothing on the trail to aid or assist them,
other than what nature provided and the candidate ran through these things
without any defenses. God, what had she been thinking to agree to this madness?
The snaky trail held too many places from where a shot could come. In a real
fight, she would never elect to go through an area such as this.
But wasn’t that the point? Elite Vulgarian warriors went
where others feared.
Determined, she pushed all dark thoughts from her mind,
examined as much as she could of the various traps—the water obstacles, the
small ledges and large crevices that she would need to find a way to cross—and
the places where an enemy could hide and attack. Trying to focus, she used a
Maloran technique to unburden her worry, the calmness letting her mind find
solutions to whatever assault schemes she could dredge up. She had her personal
mission. She couldn’t lose her faith in herself now.
As the top candidate thus far, Ragnar went first. Mace
called him forward, speaking to him in a manner that the rest of them could not
hear.
Then the bell rang. The strength of Ragnar and his speed got
him through the first leg of the course, jumping in time across a crevice to
miss a ray that would have knocked him flat. All eyes were pasted on his
progress, every one of the candidates hoping to see what worked for him and
what didn’t. Gasps from a few of the women were heard as a hidden ray split
across the back of his uniform shirt, the weapon tucked within an alcove on the
ridge he scrambled up. When he jumped down, he booked for the next curve, which
led to the next leg of the run. The timing changed in this part, the area was
more sodden and the mud sucking in his steps. When his foot caught on a root, a
ray zapped him. Pain flashed in his face but he pressed on, his focus so
intense that he ignored the wound, the blood, and any delay the injury would
cause him.
A ray spurted from around the side of a boulder on a curve
of the trail. The shot nicked him but again he ran. Dodging the rest, Ragnar
sped toward the final leg. Jinn held her breath.
At top speed, Ragnar rushed through the rock-walled portal
that fed into the remainder of the run, barely making it pass a cannon ray that
created a wall over seven feet tall that completely covered the entrance. The
excitement escalated. Jinn joined others who were shouting, urging him on.
Zing, spat, zoom.
Rapid fire came from both sides of
the minute canyon and from different types of weapons—each with its own assault
capabilities. Ragnar jumped over one ray only to drop and roll under another. A
few of the rays tagged him but he moved fast enough to miss any deadly blows.
In moments he was through and the roaring crowd jumped
around Jinn, shaking each other and slapping one another on the back. Saehildr
hugged her then hugged the man next to her as the realization soaked into
Jinn’s head.
Ragnar did it.
He actually made it through this mess.
The small relief elated her and gave her hope. Ragnar was a good man. As her
partner and friend all these lunar cycles, she was pleased for him.
Finally Mace settled the crowd and called for the second
man. He too made it, but not as well as Ragnar. Shots came from different
places this time and the candidate avoided them as best he could. When he
dashed to the finish line, his left leg bled and he held his left side. As soon
as he crossed, the med techs rushed to him. The staff in the observation deck,
which oversaw the gantlet, called a timeout. After a small amount of time, the
second man hobbled and sat with Ragnar.
Now the silence was deafening—until the next man rose to the
challenge. One by one the men pushed through the course, each having to face
varying obstacles, no one completing the course unscathed.
And in those that waited, the anxiety ran high. Jinn could
feel the tension in the air around her—and the dread in her own heart. Still,
all urged their comrades on, albeit with a more somber, anxious tone.
Moments passed but to Jinn it seemed an eternity. Now, only
one man stood between her and the course.
Hamner
.
Mace signaled him forward, speaking to him in the quiet
fashion that he had spoken to the others. When Mace finished, Hamner readied
himself. When the bell rang, he raced ahead. After having seen the others,
Saehildr’s partner seemed to fly more easily through the obstacles but when he
came to the cannon ray, the timing of the piece changed for the first time and
the fire zapped his right side. His arm hung limp and useless and his leg
dragged a bit as he pushed ahead. When he came to the final nest of fire, he
ducked the first few hits but was then stung by some others. He fell to the
ground, his legs singed.
“Come on, Hamner!” Saehildr yelled so loud she could be
heard well over the crowd. This close, Jinn heard her friend’s voice crack with
unshed tears. “You can do it!”
The man didn’t stop. He dragged his body with his good arm
across the line, avoiding the remaining fire attempts by being flush to the
ground. When he’d gotten his trunk across the line, Saehildr exhaled a heavy
breath. “Thank the ancestors.”
Again, a short break was called while the med techs rushed
to heal him. “He must have taken my advice,” Saehildr mumbled, trying to sound
upbeat as she chewed on the nub that had been her fingernail.
“I think so.” Jinn hugged her briefly and forced a smile on
her lips. Straightening, she watched some of the trainers check the obstacles.
I’m next.
The tension in Jinn built as she waited.
She could feel the same from Saehildr who stood beside her, her friend’s gaze
not straying from her partner’s prone form.
“I don’t know, Pixie.” Saehildr’s voice trailed off.
“Don’t think about it. Just do it. Remember, these aren’t
set to kill. They’re set to test your willpower.” Jinn’s voice sounded stronger
than what she felt, yet she worked to follow her own advice. Her mission
exceeded any pain, any strife.
I have to make it through.
The all-clear sounded then Mace waved Jinn forward.
Swallowing the remnants of her fear, she jogged to him.
His steel-eyed look seemed to pierce her bravado and travel
to her very soul. For once, though, it wasn’t in anger. He searched for the
truth. “You ready?”
She nodded.
The arch in his brows deepened. “Be fast. Keep your guard
up. Whatever you do, don’t stop.” He paused a moment and glanced away. Then
looking back at her, he nodded as his voice dropped even lower. “I know you
have this in you. I’ve seen it and have heard enough of what you’ve done. Use
all your skills, your creativity. Don’t let this defeat you. You can do this.”
Encouragement from Mace?
Jinn would have wondered at
the cause had she not been posted at the starting line and her focus driven to
the trial.
Her heart beat hastened. Before fear grabbed her again, the
bell sounded. Her senses exploded. On her toes, she sped, her mind visualizing
her body racing like the strongest wind. Her sharpened awareness grew keen to
her surroundings. Instinct drove her. Somehow she knew where the shots would
come. She ducked rapid fire, then another. Sensing the next as a low strike,
she jumped, avoiding a swinging club. Dropping, she rolled to avoid another
shot aimed at her head then jumped up in one continuous motion, running fast,
and even faster still.
Fire from a blind spot around a boulder sizzled toward her.
She avoided a direct hit but sensed the shot too late. The ray lanced her back,
ripping the cloth and tearing into her skin, but with the mindset she now had,
it was nothing.
Nothing
.
A tower of rocks loomed ahead.
I’m agile. Use it.
She
scrambled to the top, avoiding all strikes, hearing the roar of cheers, and
something else, someone…
Move, move, move!
She cast off the distraction and
sped down the tower. Another zing caught her unaware and nipped her shoulder.
No!
I will not yield!
She sped ahead. Now the wall of cannon fire lay before her.
It’s
starting. I won’t be fast enough…
Use your creativity…
In nanoseconds, Mace’s words
came to her. The rocky, small-ledged frame of the portal stood as tall if not
taller than the ray.
A solution.
Could she do it?
Sprinting as if for her life, Jinn knew she had to try. She
jumped, not at the opening, but onto a small rocky ledge, gaining enough height
with her momentum to twist her torso and make the leap. She tucked her chin to
her knees and her feet flew over her head as she somersaulted. Her body flipped
high in the air as the ray fired, her long braid dropping a few inches into the
shot as she rotated her trunk to land on her toes, facing the impenetrable
wall. Strands of her hair swirled around her but she had no time to consider
how a stunning ray could have undone her braided ponytail now.
Swerving, she ran for her life, pushing as hard as she could
but the effort to avoid the cannon blast had drained her. She slowed, too much
to avoid a strike to her right. The blow nicked her arm. An arching shot fired
but this time she was ready. She dove underneath then shimmied under another,
lower shot. Rising, she fled. A strike to her left grazed her side but she
pressed on.
Then a ray branded her right leg. She stumbled.
A few
more steps, only a few.
She would do this. Then a ray struck her in the
back. Her face hit the dirt but she wouldn’t quit. Couldn’t. Following Hamner’s
efforts, she pulled herself using her elbows to dig into the ground. Her heart
palpitated. Her lungs burned. She yanked herself ahead.
“Come on, Pixie. A few more feet and you’re there. Come on.
Come on!” Ragnar’s voice sounded near. She struggled to lift herself, settling
on her good knee. The line stood before her with Ragnar kneeling behind it.
Another shot from the back hit her glute. The shouting of
men encompassed her.
Can’t stop.
She pushed and pulled herself with her
good knee and her working elbows. Inch by inch she closed on the finish. Her
head crossed then her shoulders. With the pain and her mixed emotions, tears
streamed down her cheeks. She would do this. Her vision blurred but she heard
the med techs as they stood ready.
“Damnation, stop the firing!” Mace’s voice sounded over the
others.
“Come on, Pixie. Just a few more and you got it.” Ragnar’s
lowered voice urged her on. With half her body numb, the passing of time seemed
to crawl with her, yet Jinn knew it was only moments as she worked her hips
over the line. When she did, Ragnar pulled her the rest of the way and rolled
her on her side so the techs could treat her.
“By the ancestors.” He brushed the hair from her face as the
techs worked on her. “You did it, Pixie. You did it. That damn cannon could
have killed you. Shatz…”
Killed her? She tasted the coppery blood in her mouth. The
breeze brushed some shortened strands of hair back over her cheeks. How did her
hair get cut?
Dazed, Jinn needed a moment to understand. If the cannon
laser was only set to stun, it wouldn’t have sheared her braid off. Exhausted,
Jinn’s eyes fluttered shut.
“Out of my way.”
An urgent, determined, voice. Drakkar? She forced her eyes
open as her bondsmate-to-be knelt beside her. “Where did you come from?”
“I got here last night. I’ve been in the viewing room.” He
cradled her face and used his thumbs to pull her eyes farther open then studied
them. He whispered, “I didn’t want to distract you. I didn’t think…” He shook
his head then straightened and looked at the med techs. “Her pupils aren’t
dilated.”
“Of course they aren’t—Ow!” Jinn tried to respond but a move
from a tech pulled at the wound in her rear. Still, looking into Drakkar’s
otherwise stoic face, she knew he worried. He wanted to harm whoever messed up
so badly. Strange to know a man so well in such a short time.
Mace rushed to them and squatted next to Drakkar. “We’re
running the tests now. I’ll get to the bottom of this.”
Her bondsmate answered with a solemn nod yet his gaze never
left hers. In their own way, his eyes told Jinn how deep his concern lay. Mace
took off again.
“You okay?” Drakkar finally rasped.