Neverwylde (12 page)

            When it got to the point where he could no longer stand, he pressed his back to the wall and slid to the ground. His arm and hand remained numb, unable to feel even the roughly carved stone behind and beneath him. The majority of his discomfort was his hip wound. The short fight with the D’har had reopened it. He felt blood trickle down his hip when he stretched his legs out in front of him.

            He rubbed his good hand over his face and bowed his head. Alone and without a weapon, the D’har had condemned him. The commander knew there were dangerous creatures out here, and fully expected them to finish him off, thus saving the D’har from doing it himself. Besides, an accident always looked better in the official report sent to the Alliance.

            Closing his eyes, he could see the Seneecian staring at Kelen. He’d recognized the look on the man’s face.

           
“How many of these do you service?”

            Kyber cursed himself again. “Forgive me, Kelen. I should have Confirmed you that day we returned to the chamber near the pools. Although protocol is usually to Cleanse before the Confirmation, there have been instances where the declaration has been done out of order, and been accepted.

            “If I had Confirmed you in front of the others, the D’har would not have any power over you. He would hold you as a prisoner, along with the other Terrans, but he would not be able to force you into doing anything that is against Seneecian law.”

            He took a deep breath. He needed something to drink, but his supply was low. He needed to eat something to keep up his strength. But more than water and food, he needed rest. Enough rest in order to go back to the nonagon and claim her. And hopefully in the process also release the Terrans.

            He knew the Terrans would join him against the D’har. He was certain without question Massapa, Gaveer, and Tojun would side with him. What he wasn’t sure about were the two Kith officers, Verin and Kleesod. Those two had worked in engineering under Veenosh Rumm. Although there were only thirty-seven in the entire crew, because of the outlay of the ship, he’d had little contact with that department or area. His main duty had been to the weapons and navigation.

            “If Verin and Kleesod choose to remain with Plat, the numbers would still be in my favor. I just need time and opportunity,” he murmured.

            Another pain pierced him, but it was an emotional ache. It surprised him.

            How many times when he was growing up had he discovered his mother retreating to her room? Removing herself from life and the world because she could not come to terms with the loss of her confirmed life partner? Like Kyber, his father had been a military man. And it was an accepted fact that those who served to protect and defend their world often died in space. Died, or were forever lost, their fates never discovered.

            Kyber snorted. “How long before the rescue ships are sent to search for the
Ist Umberu
? How long will the Triumvirate wait before declaring everyone on board as deceased, and give us all military burials with full honors?”

            Oddly, he could finally understand how bereft his mother was at the loss of his father. He could finally grasp the pain of separation, and widening gulf of despair and uncertainty at not knowing if he’d ever see Kelen again. Alive. If he’d ever hold her again. Love her again. Feel her breath tickling the fur around his ear as she shared secrets with him. Smell her warm, unique, female scent as he caressed her furless skin. Taste the passion as they took each other’s bodies.

            At first he’d thought this emotion, this nearly overwhelming need to have her, was a sexual thing. It wasn’t unusual for Seneecian women to freely give of themselves to available males. It was an accepted practice and a quick way to relieve tension.

            Except with Kelen, there had been more involved than a physical release. He caught himself continually watching her, observing her, hoping to catch a glimpse of her smile or her sparkling eyes. Something about the sound of her voice comforted him, knowing she was safe and nearby. At times, he’d deliberately sit downwind from her, hoping to catch a whiff of her on an errant breeze.

            Memory of the black cloud swallowing her like an evil apparition seized him. He had tried to attack the entity without forethought because he had to. He was bound to protect her and care for her because he’d come to realize the miracle of love had at last shown its face, and it had a pure, pale, and furless complexion.

            A shudder went through him. Inevitably, Plat would make his move on her, because it was an accepted practice to degrade Terran prisoners. Females were forced to serve the males, then tortured. The D’har would take his time destroying the humans. He’d play with them, and he’d enjoy their struggles, their cries for help, their begs for mercy, and their screams of agony.

            And he would start with Kelen for the simple reason that Kyber had singled her out as his intended Companion. For that alone, the D’har would use her as an example to the others. To bind Massapa, Gaveer, and Tojun closer to him by preying on their fear of him. And to assert his ultimate authority.

            Kyber tried to swallow, but his throat was too dry. He drank the last of the water in his pouch. At least he could be thankful the D’har hadn’t stripped him of his rations. Once he reached the gardens, he’d try to find a place where he could rest in relative safety. There had to be some little niche somewhere that he could squeeze into, out of the reach of danger.

            The sound was almost too faint.

            Kyber paused, holding his breath as he strained to listen. All senses were on alert as he waited in the tunnel’s absolute darkness, and fought the formless images that rose in his mind of another one of this planet’s monstrosities slowly stalking him.

           
Click, click.

           
It came again, from the direction of the nonagon. For a moment, he feared that whatever was coming up the tunnel had already done damage back in the atrium, until he remembered the others still had their tube rays. Between those and the high-pitched whine of the blasters, he hoped he would have caught some faint backlash or echo if there had been a battle.

           
Click, click. Click, click.

           
It was followed by a scraping noise.

            Struggling to his feet, Kyber started pushing himself to make it to the garden before whatever was coming up the tunnel overtook him. His body was now on automatic as his mind tried to remain focused on what was behind him.

            His injured hip tried to lock up on him, forcing him to swing his leg forward. As a result, he ended up making a scuffling sound that couldn’t be helped. To keep from slamming into one of the walls, he kept his arms out to the side so that his claws trailed over the carvings.

            He heard more clicking—sharp, individual sounds falling over each other as if whatever it was had been joined by more of them. Frantically, he tried to remember if the eye worms made that kind of noise, but his weariness was muddling his thoughts.

            It was a struggle to keep up the pace he was demanding from his body. Worse, he could tell the clicking sound was growing closer. As the creatures neared, their noises grew more agitated. Fear fed adrenaline into his bloodstream, but it soon became apparent it wouldn’t be enough to sustain him. He had no idea how far he was from the gardens. The odds were heavily in the attackers’ favor.

            His hip locked on him. Unable to compensate in time, Kyber fell against the wall. Down the mouth of the corridor, the clicking turned into a rattling. The sound of it sent tremors down his spine. They could be mere meters away. Any moment now, he expected to feel them land on him, sinking their fangs or whatever they had into his legs, his back, his arms.

            A cool breath of wind caressed his face. He was near one of those underground ventilation ducts which fed fresh air into tunnels. Kyber pressed his nose to the opening as something ran across his foot. Frantically, he kicked at it. At the same time, his affected leg gave way and he felt himself falling. Crying out, he flailed his arms, hoping to keep the creatures at bay. Determined to fight for every last second of life as his heart crumpled at the realization he’d lost. Lost everything, including...

           
Kelen. My beloved. No more.

            He hit the floor with his injured shoulder. Within the fierce white pain, his forehead met the rock floor, and unconsciousness overwhelmed him.

Chapter 18

Links

            He was down. Flat on his stomach, the side of his face burned.

            He was alive. Whatever had tried to attack him had either given up, or…

            His mind went blank. He couldn’t begin to imagine why the clicking creatures had abandoned him. His brain was foggy, his thoughts swirling incoherent like liquid pools of mud.

            It was cool. Silent. Lulling him into semi-consciousness. And he was beyond exhaustion.

           
Let me lie here a while longer,
he silently prayed.
Let me rest.

           
He couldn’t keep going. The demands he’d placed on his body since the crash were catching up with him, and the blaster shot to his shoulder had been the final knife in the gut. He couldn’t move. All he could do was think. Think about the D’har. Think about Kelen.

           
Let me rest. I need to rest in order to go back there and challenge Plat. Until then, stay safe, Kelen. Protect yourself. Defend yourself. Don’t give in to the D’har’s demands. Don’t give in…

Something fell on top of him, awakening him. Ignited by a flash of fear, Kyber jerked awake with a growl. Throwing out his arms, his claws fully extended, he swiped at the air, ready to attack whatever it was.

            Nothing.

            Another clot of dirt fell from the ceiling, landing on his chest and rolling down the slope of his abs to where it stopped beside another one. Kyber stared at the clot. It took him another few seconds to realize what was happening.

            He could see the chunk of earth.

            He could see.

           
The tunnel was lit.

           
Turning onto his stomach, he peered in front of him, then checked behind him. It was true. He was still inside the tunnel…

           
No. Not that tunnel. Not the one leading to the gardens. This is another one.

           
A tiny row of pale pink glyphs no more than a finger’s width in height lay along the bottom edge of the walls on both sides. From where he remained sprawled across the rocky ground, the symbols ran off into in the distance until they appeared to curve. A check behind him showed the lights abruptly stopping nearly two meters away, ending at a blank rock wall.

            Slowly, he managed to sit up. His head swam. A warm trickle of blood oozed from his nose and a cut above his eye. Swiping his nose with the back of his hand, Kyber double-checked what he was seeing.

            “Where am I? How did I get here?” He mouthed the words without making a sound, fearful that the things that had been tracking him would reappear. But the bigger question remained. How did he get inside this lit tunnel? Had someone rescued him from whatever made that clicking sound?

            With some difficulty, he managed to get to his feet, using the wall for support. His head continued give him problems. His eyes focused and unfocused, but he didn’t feel as if he would black out again.

            He followed the lights, peering cautiously around the curve before proceeding. He noticed the continuous flow of fresh air, making the tunnel cooler than the ones leading to the lake and garden. Cool, but not cold, and not uncomfortable.

            Although he tried to keep his feet from making any sounds, his hip refused to let him lift his one foot completely off the floor. He debated whether or not to take off his sandal, but decided not to take the risk. No telling what kind of debris or unknown substance he could step in.

            The tunnel curved again. Kyber noted the turn wasn’t a smooth one. Like the other turn, it was at an angle rather than curved. He continued to follow it, keeping his ears alert for any sound, especially the clicking noises, but the corridor felt muted.

            Another turn…

            He halted in surprise. It ended. The tiny trail of lights stopped directly in front of another rock wall. Stepping closer, he peered around the edges. There didn’t appear to be a door or crack to indicate a continuation of the passageway.

            Kyber glanced behind him. “Did I pass one and not realize it?”
Should I go back and check?

           
He looked again at the blank wall in front of him. Other than the small row of glyphs lining the floor, there was nothing to signal an opening. The familiar door symbol wasn’t present.

            “Maybe it needs to be moved manually. Or perhaps the mechanism that controls the panel is no longer working.”

He reached out to feel for the edges of the door.

And froze in shock.

His hand vanished inside the rock.

Jerking his hand back, Kyber stared at his fingers, moving them experimentally. Leaning closer to the wall, he tried again to touch it.

His hand passed through as if it was made of air.

“By the four gods…”

Cautiously, he took a step forward.

Blackness enveloped him, complete with the stuffy atmosphere he was familiar with. Behind him, a ventilation duct blew across his shoulder. Other than the one step he’d taken, he hadn’t moved.

Straightening, Kyber took a step backwards.

He was inside the lit tunnel.

The revelation shook him. It also explained so much.