Vivian

Lyr grabbed Vivian hard around the waist, and shoved her behind him, before the whirling sensation stopped. The room was dark, making her wonder if the power had gone out in the transporter room.

“What is -?”

“Quiet,” Lyr growled.

Hearing his malevolent tone, Vivian instantly clamped her mouth shut. Her eyes started to adjust to the dim light, and she saw they weren’t in Blaidd’s tower at all. There was rock all around, and the place smelled stagnant.

How did we wind up in a cavern? As Vivian glanced up. She could just make out a dozen mezzanines with dilapidated railings. This is what Alcatraz looks like in Hell. The thought jarred loose the memory of Blaidd describing the Hold, and Vivian instantly knew where they were. Her heart kicked into high gear. Oh god, why did Lyr bring me here? Vivian attempted to edge away from Lyr’s back, questioning if he was a nice guy after all.

“I think you recognize the accommodations, Lyr,” a voice boomed from somewhere up above.

She peered around Lyr, to see a werewolf. He stood on the level above, glaring down at them. And he wasn’t alone. At least a dozen more Lupercalia and Torvus were stationed on the various floors.

This is sooo not good!

“Skip the taunts, and tell me why you diverted us here?” Lyr growled, his hair bristling.

Vivian was suddenly yanked back. She’d been so distracted with the threat ahead, she forgot to look behind her. Lyr whirled and grabbed for Vivian, but was too late. Flashes of gun fire lit up the cavern. Vivian screamed, feeling the heat of it strafe nearby. She watched Lyr stagger, as he was struck several times.

“Isn’t it obvious.” The lead werewolf eyed her menacingly as he leapt down to the cavern floor. The assholes somehow tricked Lyr into bringing her back to Torvus.

Vivian struggled to pull free, as she stared in horror at Lyr bleeding on the ground. He was attempting to get up, but couldn’t. There was so much blood. They had her, they didn’t need to murder Lyr.

“Why are you doing this?” She cried, then noticed who was holding her.

Amber!

Vivian didn’t duck in time to avoid the slap to her face. Pain exploded in her jaw, but she’d suffered worse.

“Amber,” the gray-haired werewolf bellowed.

Amber tugged Vivian close, gripping her forearm so tight she feared it might break.

“You got me stripped of status,” Amber snarled into her ear.

“She’s not yours yet,” the lead werewolf warned Amber again, then crouched next to Lyr. “Tell Blaidd where he can find the exotic female. If anyone else attempts to enter, she will suffer.”

The gray-haired traitor swiped his hand over Lyr’s remote limen, then stepped back, as Lyr flickered out of sight. Vivian stared at the bloody spot in disbelief, attempting to hold back a sob. Lyr looked awful. Vivian doubted he heard a word the bastard said.

“Sit,” the leader rumbled. “Amber, watch her, but keep your claws to yourself.”

“Yes, Ubel,” Amber replied begrudgingly, then shoved her to the ground.

Vivian scrambled away from the vile bitch, putting her back to the nearby stone wall.

Blaidd’s going to walk into a trap. I can’t let that happen, Vivian agonized, wondering what she could do.

“I can’t believe he lowered himself to climb on top of you,” Amber snarled in disgust.

Vivian couldn’t believe the she-wolf.

“If you want Blaidd so much, then why are you with these traitors?” Vivian hissed back at the horrible woman. “You do realize they stole me from Earth, not the tower. Blaidd was done with me, so I doubt he’ll bother to walk into an obvious trap.” Vivian made sure to speak loud enough the others could hear. Maybe they’d rethink their plan.

The gray-haired mongrel spun around.

“You better hope he does, because otherwise you’re no longer any use to us,” Ubel growled, his eyes flashing with menace. “Now shut your koyat’g mouth.”

Valid point. Shit! Vivian cringed as she snapped her mouth shut.

Amber smiled at her with twisted glee.

Vivian drew up her legs, and rested her chin on her knees, while attempting to look duly cowed. What none of these people understood, was that Vivian had been threatened and hit before. She’d learned to think past her fear, a sadly fortunate personal triumph. There was no way in Hell Vivian was about to idly sit back and watch, as Blaidd walked into a killing field. Her anger felt like a living breathing thing, as it burned inside her gut.

If you think I’m going to go down without a fight, you got another thing coming!

Vivian kept her gaze sullen as she slowly panned the room, while attempting to formulate a plan.

 

Blaidd

“I want to know the name of every male manning this room,” Blaidd roared, punching the wall.

The security feed for the last four hours had been deleted, the surveillance and entry sensors sabotaged. They didn’t know who was coming or going in the entire tower, much less the restricted sectors, like the limen portal.

Blaidd reeled from the dread ripping through him. He’d known what he was up against, yet still Blaidd let himself get distracted by Vivian leaving, and his mother’s involvement and injury. Now he was flung headlong into his worst nightmare.

“Primitus,” Sito hailed him.

“What?”

“Lyr just appeared in the limen room.”

“Where’s Vivian?” Blaidd interrupted the male.

“Lyr was alone. He’s being rushed to the clinic. I couldn’t make out what he was saying,” Sito grimly reported.

“Sito, figure out where Lyr was coming from.” Blaidd cut the transmission, as he headed for the door. “Indago, I want to know what the koyat happened with tower security.”

“Yes, Primitus.” Indago nodded.

Blaidd met the handful of medicus as they were hauling Lyr toward an operating bay.

“Where is Vivian?” Blaidd yelled at the barely conscious male on the gurney.

Lyr’s mouth moved, but only a death rattle emerged.

“Dammit, where is she?” Blaidd snarled.

“Blaidd!” Galen gripped his shoulder. “You have to let them get Lyr into surgery, or you’ll never get any answers,” the old Torvus urged.

Blaidd stood back, and truly looked at his loyal friend. Numerous ordnance blasts had ripped through him. Lyr might not be able to speak, but it was clear the worst had happened. Blaidd closed his eyes and clenched his fists, to keep from lashing out in front of everyone in the clinic. 

As Blaidd turned to leave, debating where to begin the search, and who he could trust; his utor pinged. Blaidd expected Sito or Indago, instead as series of dark images were being transmitted. He adjusted the contrast to see better, then froze in his tracks.

“It’s Vivian,” Blaidd whispered past the lump in his throat. “She’s in the Hold.”

Galen, a fellow ex-citizen of the nightmarish chasm, whirled around, his face pale.

“Someone has decided to make this very personal,” Blaidd snarled. He would take pleasure in gutting them – slowly.

 

Vivian

Vivian was so glad she remembered the communicator in her pocket, as she covertly captured images of her surroundings.

Please get these, she prayed, unsure if the thick rock would prevent the signal or not. But so far this was her best plan.

Vivian sent the last picture, then tucked the utor beneath her shirt, while pretending to shift uncomfortably on the hard stone floor. Amber was too busy flirting with a nearby guard to bother with her. And the other Lupercalia were checking weapons, talking, or idly waiting in their assigned positions. Up above, near the cavern ceiling, there was a windowed observation room. The light was brightest there, and she could see a handful of men guarding the entrance to the hellish prison.

It was hard to fathom anyone spending a day in the dank pit, let alone years, or a lifetime. Vivian ached for Blaidd as she looked at the hundreds of tiny cells that lined the walls, like catacombs. How he emerged from such a place with his sanity intact was a miracle.

He said he escaped. How? Vivian again studied the cavern.

The walls were craggy, with natural cracks in some of the spaces between cells. Whoever built the vile dungeon had to avoid the fissures when they cut out the cramped chambers. At the far end, the rocky gallery narrowed to a passage leading deeper into the earth. Massive hunks of rumble had been used to seal it off, but at some point, the prisoners pulled the behemoth stones down.

How many poor souls got lost down there while desperately trying to find their way out? It was a horrific thought. The fact Blaidd managed the feat, had her reeling.

Vivian glanced up, hearing a mechanical sound. Ubel was descending back to the cavern floor on a palette attached to a chain. Vivian hadn’t been able to capture an image of him to send to Blaidd. She looked around, making sure no one was watching, as she pulled the communicator out again, and quickly snapped a shot. When she swiped the screen to send it along, an image popped up. It was one she’d sent, but a red circle and arrow had been drawn on it.

Blaidd got the pictures! Oh, thank god. Vivian nearly broke down in tears. He was trying to communicate with her. But what?

Vivian pretended to tuck her head, as she shielded the utor between her arms and crossed legs. She studied the image, comparing it with her surroundings. It matched the span of rocky wall a dozen yards away. As Vivian looked at the rocky face, she noticed a fissure near the floor. Her eyes widened.

He wants me to hide. The crevasse looked just broad enough for her to squeeze into, assuming she could make it over there.

Vivian glanced back at the communicator, and nearly jumped in shock. Blaidd’s animated silent face filled the screen. He was a sight for sore eyes, even though he looked like he hadn’t slept in ages.

Oh, Blaidd!

Blaidd pointed from himself to her, indicating he was coming for her. Vivian looked hesitantly around, before nodding that she understood his message. She needed to hide till he could come with reinforcements. The image shifted to someone else, and Vivian almost cried out in denial. She didn’t want to see anyone else. Galen, the Torvus doctor, pantomimed hiding a communicator in his waistband. Vivian nodded to Blaidd when he reappeared. He gave her an encouraging smile, but Vivian could tell it was forced. She smiled, before reluctantly hiding the utor again.

“What are you doing?” Amber barked.

Vivian jumped, her eyes darting up to the bitch.

Think.

“I scraped my hand when you shoved me.” Vivian pulled her hand out of her lap and showed her palm to the she-wolf.

“Oh, stop whining,” Amber growled, capturing the lead mongrel’s attention.

“You asked,” Vivian bit out. “I need to go to the bathroom.”

“Go in one of the cells,” Ubel barked, with an annoyed wave of his hand.

Vivian got up, and walked into the nearby cell. She shuddered as she stared at the hole in the floor, but squatted and did her business anyway. When Vivian emerged, she took a seat closer to her goal. The crevasse was still several yards away, but with some creative maneuvering she’d make it. She just needed to wait till everyone was preoccupied, and positioned just right.