Chapter Fifteen
The next day, Thorin waited for Syzel to finish giving his latest report before he asked, “So, we should be at half power by tomorrow afternoon at the latest?”
Syzel nodded. “Yes, sir. Without any further energy drains, the power sources are slowly recharging. Combined with every available remaining engineer working on it, repairs are slow but steady.”
He grunted. “Good. Although until we find a way to shield from the rogue teleporters, ensure we have enough stored energy to maintain life support systems and self-defense weaponry. I don’t want to become an easy target once more.” Syzel bowed his head in acknowledgment and Thorin moved his gaze to Ryven. “Do you have any more candidates to help with intelligence gathering aboard the ship?”
“Yes, sir,” Ryven answered and recited a few names. With heightened security and a possible enemy onboard, Thorin wouldn’t allow his crew to risk sensitive information by sending it electronically. Ryven finished and added, “We should hear back soon from headquarters. I’m sure they’ll help locate the missing persons.”
Thorin tapped his fingers against his desk. “I appreciate the reassurances, but they are unnecessary.”
Ryven studied him before asking, “Are you certain? You may fool a lot of people, but remember, I train warriors. There are few who can trick me.”
“I did not give you permission to speak freely, Ryven.”
Ryven smiled. “But you did yesterday. ‘Always speak freely with me when we’re alone or in front of Syzel’ was what you said.”
Thorin was about to rescind the order when a vision of a battlefield, complete with pools of blood and scattered bodies, flashed into his mind. The sole person standing with an old broadsword dripping with a thick, red liquid amidst the carnage was himself.
He closed his eyes a second, took a deep breath, and managed to pack away the image section by section until only blackness remained. He said through gritted teeth, “Our meeting is finished for now. Resume your duties. Dismissed.”
The pair mumbled, “Yes, sir,” before Thorin heard the door to his quarters open and close.
Over the last day, Thorin had learned to trust Syzel and Ryven more. No doubt the pair had questions, but they would remain silent while they were still on red alert. The top priority was staying alive and protecting everyone onboard the ship.
To do that, Thorin needed to get a grip on his mind once more. And one way proved more effective than other techniques.
Slowly, Thorin recalled Vala’s long, white hair and small, soft form. The concern in her black eyes was genuine and she quickly engulfed him in a hug.
He held onto the memory of Vala’s precious body in his arms for a few minutes, until his heart rate slowed. What he wouldn’t give to have her with him in reality.
He’d been a fool to think they’d merely share a few nights of passion and could part ways. Somehow, someway, he wanted to find a solution to be with her always. Provided she’d want him, of course. He would just need to show how much he treasured her mind and body when he found her.
Maybe he’d join the colony if Vala was agreeable. As much as he hated to ask Prince Kason a favor, he might have to in order to get a recommendation to remain on Jasvar.
Because, yes, despite everything that had happened, he was determined to deliver the colonists to their destination. Turning back would create more instability on Keldera, which would lend itself to war. In turn, if the palace fell, society might dissolve into anarchy. As much as he disliked most of the royal family, he didn’t want to see them executed and replaced with chaos and quests for power for who knew how many years.
His secure communications line beeped and Thorin finally opened his eyes.
The message was from General Corvel. Video communications were still down, so he opened the text-only message and read it:
Message received. Reinforcements and barriers en route. More information later.
With a growl, Thorin stood and paced the length of his temporary quarters near the command deck. While he was glad to have help on the way—the barriers referred to larger teleport shields usually used for the palace and the council’s meeting house—the message said nothing about the missing people from his ship. Not even a note to say they were being assumed dead and passed over in favor of protecting the colonists.
Thorin would just need to ensure everything was ready and in place for a transition of command. Because if no word of Vala came by the time the reinforcements arrived, Thorin would resign and go look for her and the others by himself.
After all, the colony transport ship would be protected. Not to mention Ryven and his small team of trusted warriors would continue their work of looking for any traitors.
Yes, the ship would be in good hands. Vala, on the other hand, had no one but herself and possibly Azalyn Sulani to help her. As much as he valued Vala’s intelligence and determination, she wasn’t a warrior.
But Thorin was. More than that, he was her protector. And he’d use his decades of experience to find her at any costs. Because if not for him, she never would’ve gone looking for Azalyn Sulani and probably would still be safe aboard the ship.
He seemed to bring trouble and sadness to those he cared about. First his mother with years of shame and hardship; then his aunt with being shunned for openly loving him; and now Vala by placing her trust in his judgment.
But he was done allowing things to happen to those he cared about.
~~~
Vala was about to reach up and touch the outline of the flower pendant through her dress, then remembered it wasn’t there. Kelzal was trying to see if he could boost the locator signal.
For all the elaborateness of the Tallarians’ kidnapping and teleportation tricks, they seemed to view females as even less of a threat than their Kelderan counterparts. No one had tried to search her or Azalyn. Despite Vala offering up her blaster gun for spare parts, Kelzal had refused. He wanted to try on his own first with electronic components from his containment cuffs, which he’d disengaged after about fifteen minutes, using only his skill and the clasp from her necklace.
While young Kelderans tended to have a better affinity with technology than her, Kelzal was more than adept. She’d hazard a guess to say that he was a genius.
Even though it was Vala’s job to watch for any approaching guards or visitors, she chanced a look at Azalyn, who was laying on the floor and trying to take a short rest before relieving Vala’s post.
The female had her eyes closed, but Vala doubted she slept. Discovering your long-lost son wasn’t an everyday occurrence. On top of that, Vala was fairly confident that Keltor was the young man’s father. Vala had never met Prince Keltor or seen more than a passing image, but Kelzal’s resemblance to the other royal siblings, Kason and Kalahn, was unmistakable.
The one good thing their current situation had done was to reveal that Prince Keltor had an heir, which should help alleviate some uncertainty concerning the monarchy. Too many viewed the bachelor prince as irresponsible and selfish for not finding a bride and continuing the line. After all, how could the people look to the royal family for guidance and stability if there ended up being a squabble for succession after Keltor’s eventual death?
Yet as Vala studied Azalyn, she wondered if Prince Keltor had remained unattached for a reason. Vala had recently learned what it was like to care for someone she couldn’t have. Even when she parted ways with Thorin, provided she ever escaped and saw him again, Vala would never forget the kind, strong warrior.
Maybe Prince Keltor still dreamed of Azalyn’s spirit.
Kelzal growled, garnering her attention. He ran a hand up and down his leg, muttering something unintelligible. She moved closer to him, albeit still blocking his work from the view of anyone watching. The single security camera pointed into the cell, so most of Kelzal’s body was easily blocked if someone sat in the correct position.
She whispered, “Are you doing okay?”
“No.” He motioned toward the small pieces he’d extracted from his containment cuffs. “I need more.”
Despite his deliberate vagueness, Vala understood his meaning. They’d agreed earlier to speak as little as possible about their plan, to avoid detection.
She pointed to her leg to indicate her blaster gun, but he merely said, “Not the right ones.”
A plan formed in her mind. She pointed toward his cuff parts. “Will one more suffice?”
“Yes, but—”
“Then leave it to me.” She darted her eyes to the parts, and Kelzal hid them under his crossed legs. He placed the empty containment cuff casings on his wrists.
Vala quickly moved to Azalyn’s side and gently shook her shoulder. The female opened her eyes without missing a beat, confirming her suspicions that Azalyn had been awake.
Once the other female sat up, Vala murmured into her ear, “Just in case my plan backfires and you do eventually escape, tell General Thorin I’m sorry and that none of this is his fault. He likes to think he can protect everyone with a mere strength of will, but sometimes, that isn’t enough. He did all he could. I know he did.”
Azalyn frowned. “What are you going to do, Vala?”
She lowered her voice even further. “Kelzal needs more parts. I’m going to try my best to get them.”
“Vala, it’s too dangerous. I should be the one to risk whatever you’re going to do.”
She shook her head. “No, you need to make sure Kelzal escapes safely. Not to mention you have the power to negotiate with the Tallarians. In the end, I’m the most disposable out of the three of us.”
Azalyn leaned closer. “Listen to me—you’re not disposable. And if I have to pin you to the ground to keep you from acting stupid, then I will.”
Vala drew her blaster gun and pressed it into Azalyn’s side. “Forgive me, Azalyn. But this is something I have to do. It’s time for me to step out of the shadows and be the person I know I can be. You and Kelzal need to survive. Let me help the best way I know how.”
As Azalyn searched her eyes, Vala kept her finger near the trigger. She truly didn’t want to shoot her sort-of friend, but for once, Vala was going to do what she could to help others. She might’ve been born a Barren, but deep down, Vala believed she could’ve made a good female warrior in another life.
If she did die, then it would at least be as a female Thorin could admire.
Before she could think more on Thorin and possibly lose her nerve, Azalyn thankfully bobbed her head. “Okay, I won’t try to stop you.” She paused and added, “Thank you.”
While left unsaid, Vala knew Azalyn was thanking her for the chance to get to know her son.
Vala looked at Azalyn another second before she turned toward the security camera. She managed to aim and get off one shot before someone tackled her from behind.
She crashed to the ground, her knees jarring against the hard floor.
Vala had barely caught her breath before a knee dug into her back and Azalyn’s voice whispered, “Sorry, but they’ll kill you.”
Azalyn swiped the gun from her hand. Vala just managed to turn her head in time to see Azalyn hold the weapon under her chin, up toward her brain.
“No!” Vala shouted, but the guards charging into the room drowned her out.
Azalyn spoke loudly and clearly, “You mistook me for a weak female. Well, maybe next time you’ll learn from your mistake and make sure to restrain everyone.”
The guards pointed weapons at Azalyn, but she continued, “If you so much as move another inch with one of your weapons, then I’ll fire this blaster gun. Without me, I have a feeling all your leader’s plans will come to nothing. You need me alive.”
A voice came over the intercom system. It was the thickly accented Tallarian male’s voice from earlier. “What is it you want, female?”
Azalyn answered, “For you to free the other two.”
The same male voice hissed. “I think not. They motivate you. Surrender, Azalyn Rippak. That is your only option to keep the other two alive. I won’t offer again.”
Vala did her best to keep the confusion from showing on her face. Surely Azalyn hadn’t expected the Tallarians to give in to her demands.
Azalyn responded, “So if I surrender the weapon, everyone in this room stays alive?”
“For now,” the male replied.
After taking a deep breath, Azalyn slumped her shoulders and spoke again. “I see I have no choice against such a strong opponent, but I still had to try. I’ll surrender my weapon and allow you to restrain me, provided you promise on your forebears’ honor that neither of my companions will be punished for this transgression, nor separated from me.”
Vala started to understand Azalyn’s actions. Her companion knew something about Tallarian customs and had used her knowledge to procure cuffs. Still, she hoped Azalyn knew what she was doing. The Tallarians didn’t seem a forgiving race.
Silence ticked by for a few beats before the male replied, “I swear on the mother of my mother’s honor that your request will be honored, although all of you will be restrained for the remainder of your time here, for however long that may be. Now, surrender your weapon.”
Azalyn moved to the edge of the containment wall. Vala sat up just in time to watch the guards open up a small retrieval hole in the barrier and confiscate the blaster gun. The instant Azalyn proffered her wrists, a guard slapped on a set of containment cuffs and engaged the forcefield mechanism that made them nearly unbreakable.
Once the guard finished, he pushed Azalyn away hard enough to make her stumble. The guard looked at Vala and waited.
She ignored him slowly perusing her body and made her way to the hole in the barrier. Once he placed the composite containment cuffs on her wrists and engaged them, he accidentally brushed her breast.
The gesture was a reminder that if they upset the leader again, he could give Vala to the guards to do what they wished before they killed her.
The guard pushed her back and closed the hole in the barrier. He gave one last sneer before retreating to stand in line with the other guards.
The leader’s voice boomed once more. “A Tallarian never breaks his honor code, but know this—I’m done being lenient. At the slightest sign of trouble, I will kill the other female. Your pathetic attempt at escaping was foolish. Kelderan females are even less intelligent than I originally thought. And to ensure you take my threat seriously, food will be withheld for a day.”
The voice signed off in Tallarian and the guards exited the room, except for the one who’d touched her. He eyed Vala, his gaze settling on her breasts for about five seconds before he met her gaze again. It took everything she had not to recoil from the hunger there.
If the guard had any power with their leader, she had a feeling her fate would be worse than death.
The leering guard left and an additional forcefield went up over the door.
Vala turned toward Azalyn and hissed, “You could’ve been killed.”
Azalyn held up her wrists and motioned to hers. “But I wasn’t. Besides, my chances of success were greater than yours. Being brave means nothing if you’re also being stupid. When you work with a team, you need to confer with them, too, Vala. Remember that.” Azalyn whispered into her ear, “Although, I will say good job at taking out the security camera. Even if they come to fix it, it gives Kelzal some time to work freely.”
Vala grunted her acknowledgment. She whispered back, “I’m not used to teamwork, but we can talk more about that later. Kelzal needs to get to work. The sooner we can let someone on Keldera know our location, the better. You also need to start talking about the Tallarians. Knowledge can only help all of us.”
Azalyn tilted her head. “You are much more than I imagined, Vala.”
She touched the intricate tattoo on her forehead. “All I ask is for you to treat me as if this wasn’t here.”
“I thought I was, but I’ll try harder.” Azalyn nodded toward Kelzal. “Come. There’s much to say about our jailers.”
As Azalyn sat next to Kelzal, the male did his best to keep his gaze downward. When he finally did look up at Azalyn, a flicker of longing flashed in his eyes.
But it was gone as quickly as it had come. He murmured, “Move a little closer.”
Vala watched as Azalyn and her son sat only a few inches apart from each other. While close in proximity, they were galaxies apart in terms of comfort.
Her heart broke at the pair and any lingering anger about Azalyn’s actions faded. The future was all that mattered.
And not just for Azalyn and her son, but for Vala as well. The next time she acted, she would fight for a future where all three of them were alive and well.
In other words, she needed to get used to the idea of working with a team.
Vala moved into position, to block the view of Kelzal to anyone who entered the room, and sat with her back to the pair. Pretending to look dejected, Vala listened as Azalyn quietly recited what she knew of the Tallarians. Even if her voice was picked up over the intercom system, the words were innocent enough.
Or, so she hoped.