Chapter Five
“Arazor?” It was almost morning when Kara awoke.
“I’m here. How are you feeling?” he asked her solemnly.
“I–I don’t know... Okay, I guess...,” she answered feebly, her head spinning. She was still weak but her delirium was over. She tried sitting up, then realized she was naked under the covers. Her clothes lay at the foot of the bed.
“Here, drink this.” He offered her a glass. She noticed that there was something different about his manner. He seemed almost kind and gentle with her. She wondered why. What had happened to the Arazor who despised her?
“The poison from your wound would have killed you had I not treated it in time,” he explained. “I have brought you food. You should eat when you feel up to it.”
“Thank you,” she said weakly as she sipped her drink. It tasted bitter, but soothed her nerves. “Arazor... How did you know I was outside? I thought you were sleeping.”
“I heard the door open and followed you,” he said. “I had warned you not to go out and you didn’t listen. Luckily, we don’t need as much sleep as humans do.”
“I–I’m sorry... I couldn’t sleep. I was working and suddenly the signal became disrupted,” she said quietly. “And then that creature attacked me… What happened after the attack? Was I unconscious the whole time?”
“No, you woke up many times, delirious. Hallucinations... a side effect of the poison. You talked a lot and cried a lot,” he said matter-of-factly.
“What did I say?”
“Lots of things... You weren’t making sense,” he said quietly. He gazed at her for some time as she stared at her glass, lost in thought. “Who is Ben, Kara?” he finally asked her.
She stared at him wide-eyed. “My ex-husband... Back on Earth,” she said, sheepishly averting her eyes as color rose to her cheeks.
He looked at her strangely. “Kara, when this is over, I will let you go. You will no longer be bound to me,” he said as he gazed at her, slowly rubbing his thumb over the runes on his wrist.
She didn’t know how to respond. He was one of the most unpredictable people she had ever met.
He got to his feet and she again was struck by how tall he was. “The sun will come up in a few hours. We need to get moving if we want to reach the city. You get dressed while I pack up,” he said, resuming the cold tone she had become accustomed to. Mr. Bossy is back again, she thought.
He turned to leave. She gazed at his back. She could make out the strong muscles rippling beneath his shirt. ““Arazor? Thanks... for saving my life,” she said softly.
“It’s my duty to protect you, Kara,” he said. He gave her a sidelong glance, and then left the chambers without another word, leaving her along with her thoughts.
So he was willing to leave her after they had found Nariya. She wondered what had made him change his mind. Regardless, though, this was exactly what she had wanted, wasn’t it? Then why was she not happy about it? She felt a tug in her heart. Something was definitely wrong with her. She couldn’t stop thinking about him. His intense gray eyes, his strong jaw, and the way he wistfully ran a thumb along the runes etched on his wrist–a reminder that they were bound for life. She looked at her own wrist...
Stop it Kara! Stop being stupid! Be strong and don’t let yourself go there... It would be a mistake you would regret forever…
He was a Vllar, a powerful alien who would never love a weak human like her... He probably thought she was ugly or even repulsive! He wanted to marry Nariya, a beautiful Argarian. Kara didn’t even come close to her. He had only saved her life because he thought it was his duty, not because he cared. How could she be so stupid to fall in love with him?
Her eyes were full to the brim with tears. A throbbing headache began to nag at her temples. She took a deep breath and drank a glass of water that lay on the tray beside her sandwich. Taking a bite, she tried to distract herself from the wayward thoughts that were barreling through her head.
***
Arazor checked the clock on the system. Two hours and twelve minutes until sunrise. He rechecked Nariya’s location. She was still in the same location as before. She had not moved. He started packing up and his mind drifted uncontrollably toward Kara.
In the past several hours, he had seen her quite differently. He just couldn’t forget those big brown eyes wide with fear–the kind of fear he had witnessed only when a victim is being tortured. The way she had begged for it all to stop... His chest constricted terribly at the thought. He wondered what the bastard did to her. He could see that she was vulnerable and sensitive, and her heart was badly wounded. No wonder she didn’t want to marry him or anyone else if given the choice. She was scared, and it was hard for her to trust anyone again. And in that moment when she cried bitterly in his arms, mourning the loss of her baby, something triggered a change in Arazor’s cold heart. She was a smart and brave woman. A woman who had defied him when no other woman in his world would dare refuse him if he chose them for himself. Yet, Kara had stood up for herself.
He had decided to let her go as he didn’t want to force her. She probably thought him to be a cold and brutal warrior, just like the rest of his kind. He wished she could see him differently, see who he really was behind the harsh mask he wore. If she could do that, then she was the one for him. The woman he had always wanted. And if she didn’t, then it didn’t matter anyway. He knew her leaving meant he would never be able to choose another mate. Ever.
***
Arazor drove the rover over the massive sand dunes for hours before they reached the city. They stopped some distance away from the city. All they could see was the huge wall surrounding the city. Arazor hid the rover under the cloaking field while Kara adjusted her robes. She wore a gray linen gown with a hood. She glanced at him. He wore his desert pants and boots with a long cloak. He too pulled the hood over his head and adjusted the sword at his belt. They were disguised as travelers as to not attract attention.
They walked toward the wall and stopped a few yards away from it.
“Don’t go nearer to the wall,” warned Arazor. He bent down and took some sand from the ground in his gloved hand and threw it toward the wall. The sand spread in the air like a cloud of dust. The invisible force field shot sparks everywhere.
Arazor scanned the surrounding area with his field detector. He found an opening in the force field: a fissure a few yards to their left. The opening in the force field led to an opening in the city wall, which was wide enough for both of them.
“Be careful and follow me,” Arazor said.
Kara’s heart skipped a beat as she followed Arazor into the city. They were treading through dangerous territory and they would have to be very cautious.
“Tell me the status of Nariya’s location,” Arazor ordered Kara once they were inside the city.
“It’s toward the north, near those towers up there,” she said, checking her comm-pad.
They walked through a bazaar that reminded her of ancient Babylon. The buildings had sandy white walls and, far beyond, she could see the turrets of a castle. The people looked like the Bedouin of the desert with their white robes and turbans, their skin dark against their sharp green eyes.
“So, what’s the plan?” Kara asked Arazor once they had made their way through the crowded Bazaar.
“That tower is part of the prison. Rezurn must have locked her up in there,” he said, checking his own device and making calculations.
“How do we get in?” she asked him, straining to look in the direction of the tower.
“A friend of mine was once imprisoned here. It was a long time ago, but he said the cells are guarded by the Druzhal. They are vile creatures, ruthless and cunning,” he explained. “I can hold them off. Meanwhile, you must get Nariya out of her cell.”
The sun bore down on them as they made their way up the stone steps toward their destination. “Here, take this,” he said, stopping to take out a small cylindrical device. “When you press the button here, it will help you break the lock. Find the exact location of Nariya’s cell once we’re inside the prison.”
He looked into Kara’s soft brown eyes and saw them fill with raw emotion. She nervously wrung her hands. His chest constricted again, but he tried to focus on the mission. Her mere presence was becoming a distraction and he didn’t like it. She seemed so innocent and lost that he sometimes felt she shouldn’t be on this dangerous mission at all. Her body was too frail and she was still weak from the attack. “Lastly, keep this for your protection,” he said as gave her a silver dagger.
Kara’s stomach knotted as she took the dagger. With trembling hands, she adjusted her breathing clip and rechecked Nariya’s location. Her mouth went dry and she fumbled in her robes for her water bottle. Her heart thudded in her chest.
They reached the prison and after a while, carefully avoiding any encounters with Druzhal guards and using his device, Arazor found them a secret passage near the foot of the prison wall. The passage was pitch black and it took a few seconds for Kara’s eyes to adjust to the darkness surrounding them. Arazor led the way with a beam of light emitted from the device on his wrist.
“Stay close to me and keep your eyes open,” Arazor said as Kara stepped silently on the stone floor and followed him. She could hardly make out the way. Checking her tab once more, she quickly spotted where Nariya was located.
“Arazor...,” she whispered. “I found her.”
He stopped and took a look at the map. “Good,” he said. “Now...”
But before he could finish, they heard strange whispers inside the stone walls. Kara jumped, unconsciously grabbing Arazor’s arm as fear gripped her.
“Druzhal,” Arazor said quietly, pulling her closer to him. “You need to stay calm, Kara. Otherwise, they will find us in no time. They can smell fear.”
In the dim blue light, Kara nodded and took a deep breath. She tried to focus on her breathing as Arazor gently pried her hand off of his arm. As the whispering continued, they walked on through the passage until they turned a corner. They were met with a circular open space lit by green flaming torches. All around them were cells.
Kara looked around, trying to determine which cell held Nariya when the whispers became deafening. Then the Druzhal emerged from the shadows.
Kara gasped, trying not to scream. Four tall, gray-skinned men with horned heads and beady yellow eyes crept toward them, battle axes in hand. Arazor held his sword in front of him, ready to strike, while Kara stayed close to him. She tightly gripped the dagger in her trembling hands. Then, without warning, the Druzhal attacked.
Arazor parried and struck back. His sword was lethal. It injured the first one while the other gained in on him. Kara managed to duck beneath their blows and run toward the nearest column. She hid behind it while Arazor continued parrying the attacks the horned creatures inflicted upon him. Time was running out.
Kara checked her comm-pad for the location of Nariya’s cell. It led her to one of the cells on her left. Using the device Arazor had given her, the age-old lock melted under the heat of its lasers. In less than a minute, the door swung open. Her mind racing, she took a torch hanging from the wall and glanced back. Arazor was fighting three of the Druzhal now, the fourth one dead at his feet. She quickly stepped into the dark walled cell and saw that it was empty except for a woman lying in the corner. She seemed unconscious.
Kara ran toward her and tried to shake her awake. “Nariya! Nariya! Wake up!” Nariya opened her eyes drowsily. She looked pale and had a glazed look in her eyes, as though she had been drugged. Kara helped her up into a sitting position. “Nariya, we need to get out of here–fast!” Kara could hear the metal clashing outside. Sheathing her dagger, she helped Nariya up to lean on her shoulders and carefully moved toward the door.
Arazor was locked in combat with two of the Druzhal. There were now two bodies lying dead at his feet. Arazor saw Kara and Nariya coming out of the cell. “Kara! Take her to the rover. If I don’t make it back to you in an hour, don’t wait for me. Take the ship and leave!”
Kara stared at him, her eyes wide. Dark blue blood dripped from his forehead down his face and gashes covered his chest and arms. His clothes were almost in tatters. She couldn’t leave him behind…
“Kara, go. Now!” Arazor shouted as he severed the head of one of the Druzhal who had spotted the two women.
Kara blinked several times before uprooting herself and making her way back through the dark passageway as fast as her feet could take her. With Nariya’s weight on her, she couldn’t run. In her free hand, she lit their path with her comm-pad.
He won’t be coming back. He’ll die in there. That’s why he told you to leave! Her stomach twisted terribly and wave after wave of nausea hit her. Reaching the door, she helped Nariya outside and into the sunlight and adjusted the breathing clip on Nariya’s nose. Kara was exhausted but didn’t waste a moment. She picked up pace, leading her friend through the Bazaar and through the opening in the wall toward the rover. She barely noticed the tears streaming down her face. Once inside the rover, she settled Nariya into her seat and waited. It had taken her an hour to reach the rover. She wished with all her heart that Arazor would turn up soon.
Kara glanced at Nariya, who had reentered deep sleep. Nervously wringing her hands, she counted the passing minutes. Then, burning pain seared her inner wrist. She grasped her wrist with her other hand. The runes etched in her skin had started to hurt terribly. Alone and helpless, she wondered what was wrong. Oh, Arazor... Where are you?