Chapter Fourteen
Zhynn
He heard the scream, just before it was drowned out by an earth-shattering roar.
Delta! Hang on, we’re coming.
Fool! She can’t hear you, Zandyr shouted in his head. The Bond isn’t strong enough yet.
It will never get a chance to become strong if you don’t get your ass moving, Zhynn yelled back. Besides, even if I shouted out loud, that thing would drown me out.
He switched from the loping gait he used when covering long distances to a dead run, Zandyr by his side.
What in the name of the Sacred Ones do you think is after her? Zandyr asked.
I heard stories of horrible monsters living in the desert. Beasts that have carried off unsuspecting travelers for thousands of years. They come out to hunt at twilight and rule the desert in the darkness. The Borvaani call them cojee-ma. My guess is we’re dealing with a remnant of life on this planet eons ago. A species that’s adapted and survived despite all odds.
We’ve faced plenty of beasts over the years. Those aatapa on Semulon VI were a fucking nightmare, Zandyr replied. But one thing I learned is that no matter how invincible it seems, every creature has a weak spot. We just have to find it.
Before it finds ours, Zhynn shot back.
Too late, Brother. It’s already found our weakness, Zhynn said, as Delta’s screams echoed in the night.
Delta
She hauled herself painfully to her feet. I’ll be damned if I go down without a fight. Scrabbling in the dirt, she collected a pile of rocks then stood back from the edge of the cliff with the dagger clutched in one hand.
If I can take out both his eyes with rocks and blind the creature, maybe I can get close enough to slip under him and slit his throat.
Another roar shook the ground under her feet. One huge claw appeared over the edge of the cliff and sank deep into the surface of the plateau. The other claw buried itself several feet farther in. She heard a deep bellow, a harsh scrabbling sound, and the cojee-ma’s head rose into view.
“Goddess help me,” she breathed. The creature’s body was covered with thick gray-brown scales, forming a nearly impenetrable natural armor. Two cold yellow eyes raked over the plateau. It saw her, opened its mouth, and let out another bloodcurdling roar then surged up and thrust its head forward, snapping in her direction with three rows of razor-sharp teeth, each the size of her forearm.
“Fuck you,” Delta shouted, hurling a rock at one of the yellow eyes. She caught it right on the inside corner. The beast howled. It ducked its head back down, taking cover on the cliffside.
A moment later, she heard the harsh scrabbling sounds again. It’s digging its claws higher up into the side of the cliff, getting ready to leap up here and attack.
Delta threw herself to the ground, dagger in hand, and rolled between the creature’s front claws.
Zandyr
The beast was nearly at the top of the cliff, clawing its way up, roaring and snapping. Delta shouted something and, a moment later, the cojee-ma howled in pain.
That’s our little human, he told his brother, a note of pride in his voice. Facing down a hideous beast, brave as any warrior in the galaxy.
Which she wouldn’t have to do if she hadn’t gone off alone on this foolhardy rescue mission, Zhynn grumbled, pulling himself up the sheer rock face at a breakneck pace. I swear by all the gods, when I get hold of her I’m going to spank her so hard she won’t sit for a week.
He and his twin were downwind of the cojee-ma, heading up the cliff below it, one on either side of the monster’s lower body. As they climbed, they sized up the creature. Studying its movements, its makeup.
Do you see that? The perfect place to strike, Zandyr said. But we need to move. Now!
They stretched out, bodies flat against the cliff face, drew their swords, and slashed over and over at the joints where the creature’s rear paws attached to its legs. Hacking away at it as the cojee-ma flexed its hind legs to spring and the rows of scales tipped up to reveal pale underskin covering the tendons there.
The creature howled, writhing madly. But with the sinews anchoring its rear feet to its legs slashed, the weight of the creature’s body on the shredded tendons ripped them away from its bones. With an ear-splitting howl, the cojee-ma tumbled to the ground below.
Zandyr’s body was nearly yanked off the cliff by the creature’s front claw as it tumbled past him. His sword was torn from his grip, and he fumbled to find a crevice. Ended up dangling by one hand, feet scrambling for a toehold.
“Delta! Delta! Are you all right?”
Her face appeared above him, on a disembodied head hanging over the edge of the cliff.
“Zandyr! Did you see that? I got him. I got the sonofabitch! I rolled underneath him and slashed the backs of his front legs,” she babbled triumphantly. “He couldn’t hold on. Crashed to the ground! Look at him. He’s down there trying to get up. Keeps crumpling back down.”
Zandyr’s other hand found a narrow ledge, clung to it. He glanced down, still panting for breath. It looked like the creature’s spine had been shattered in the fall. It pawed at the ground, trying to pull itself to its feet, then collapsed with a spine-tingling roar that echoed over the desert.
Delta paused, as though seeing him for the first time. “What are you doing here? Is Zhynn with you? Are you all right? Do you need help? I can climb down and…”
“I don’t need your help,” he muttered, gritting his teeth. He’d be damned if the female he came to rescue ended up having to rescue him.
Zhynn came into view, clambering up the cliff as easily as a mountain orak. “Yes, I’m here, too,” he called out. He hauled himself over the edge of the cliff and dashed to Delta’s side then pulled her into his arms.
Zhynn
“Are you hurt?” His hands roamed over her body. He let out a string of curses when he realized she was favoring her left leg.
“You are hurt! What happened?”
“I fell when I was running. I think my ankle may be broken. But I’m all right, really I am,” she hurried on. “It only hurts when I put weight on it.”
He searched her face. “Liar. I’ve broken bones before. So has Zandyr. Don’t try to tell me you’re not in pain right now. How far did you run on it? And how in the seventh hell did you manage to climb up here with only one good leg?”
“Don’t mind me, Brother,” Zandyr huffed. His head appeared at the edge of the cliff, followed by his body as he rolled onto his stomach, breathing hard. “No, thank you, I don’t need a hand. I’m fine here.”
Zhynn glanced at him. His brother’s shirt was in tatters. He had a jagged wound across his back and a trail of blood down one arm.
“Every time he gets a little scratch, my twin acts like an infant needing to suck at his mother’s breast,” he sighed.
Delta limped to Zandyr, knelt down. “Dear heaven, you’re bleeding! The creature must have raked him with one of its claws as it fell,” she told Zhynn. “He’s been badly injured.”
Zandyr let out a loud groan. “It’s… it’s nothing,” he muttered. “But my brother is right. Sucking on a breast right now might make me feel better.” He grinned and pulled Delta down into his arms.
“You – you’re horrible! I was really worried,” she snapped, pounding on his chest with a fist.
“Ow! Easy there,” Zandyr said, clutching the spot she’d smacked.
“Oh, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to…”
Zandyr burst into laughter. “Isn’t she adorable?” he said to Zhynn. “She really thinks she hurt me!”
Delta glared at him. “Careful. I sent that monster over the edge of the cliff. I can do the same to you. One good kick…”
Do we tell her? Zhynn asked, amused.
And destroy our little warrior’s triumph? Never, Zandyr replied.
“Hand me my dagger,” she said to Zhynn.
“Are you going to stab me before you kick me off?” Zandyr grinned at her.
“You’re not funny,” she muttered, slicing two more wide strips from the lower part of her gown. She folded one into a patch and pressed it over his wound then wound the other around his chest and tied the edges together to hold the makeshift bandage in place.
Zandyr ran his eyes over the tattered remnants of her gown. “I may have a few more injuries.”
She smacked him again. “You’re not getting me naked that easily!”
“You can charm her out of what’s left of her clothes later, Brother,” Zhynn declared. “Right now, we have two problems. One, we need to get Delta back down this cliff. Two, we still have several hours to go before we reach the landing station. And it will be light soon. We need to move fast.”
You’ll need to carry her down, Brother. I dare not risk her life climbing down with only one good arm. Zandyr switched back to their chosen mode of communication.
I can do that. And I’ll carry her through the desert, too.
Zandyr got to his feet. Zhynn swept Delta into his arms. “I’m going to put you over my shoulder and take you down. All you have to do is hang on.”
“And then what? Are you going to run through the desert with me over your shoulder like a sack of potatoes?”
Zhynn frowned. “What are potatoes?”
Delta sighed. “It’s not important. The point is, you’ll never make it to the landing port before daylight if you have to drag me along. Go. Now. You can sneak in there, overpower the guards, and get your ship. Then one of you can come back on a small transport cruiser and pick me up.”
Zhynn made a quick survey of the plateau. ‘We can’t leave you here. There’s no shelter. Once the sun comes up, you could die of exposure before we get back.” He stopped, gave her a piercing stare. “How did you make it all the way here? You left long before we did, while it was still hot enough to fry an uma bug on that desert sand.”
“I have a few genetic modifications I never told you about,” she admitted. “They allow me to survive extreme temperatures for prolonged periods of time. I’ll be fine. Really, I will. Just go. Hurry!”
She’s right, Brother, Zandyr said. Strong as you are, she’d still slow you down. Our only hope is to get to the landing port before the sun is too high in the sky. If we don’t go now, we won’t survive to come back here for her.
I can’t bear to think of her here alone. Helpless. Zhynn’s eyes were bleak.
Not completely helpless. After all, she did attack that beast, with a dagger no bigger than a bread knife. And she made it all the way here. We have to trust that she has skills beyond our own. Our human knows her abilities better than we do, Zandyr replied.
He shook his head. We have no choice, Brother. The only way we can save her life is to leave her.