Neverwylde (16 page)

Click. Click, click, click.

Whatever was making that noise was getting closer. Kelen noticed Dox’s posture straighten. He was as alarmed as she was.

She glanced at the little weapon he’d used on the D’har. He held it out in front of him, along with the tube light. Did he honestly believe he could take on the creature with that thing?

“Dox!” she whispered urgently. She took another step back, when she stepped on a loose rock. It slipped out from under her, upsetting her balance. Kelen tried to stifle her cry as she fell sideways. Throwing out her arms, she vainly sought a handhold to catch herself, without success.

She hit the ground hard, landing on her right side. For a moment, she stared in shock at the dimly lit tunnel in front of her. A glance at her feet was more surprising. From her knees down, she didn’t exist. The rest of her body was gone…

But I can feel my feet! I can feel my legs!

Quickly, she dragged herself up into a sitting position...and her boots appeared from out of thin air.

She stared at the rock wall in disbelief. How in the hell…

“Dox!”

Scrambling to her feet, she approached the wall, keeping her hands in front of her. When they vanished from sight, she held her breath and plunged her head through the portal.

A few meters down the tunnel, she could see the light from Dox’s tube wavering in the darkness.

“Dox! This way!”

“Kelen?” His voice held panic.

“This way! This way, Dox!”

As he got close enough to shine the light on her, she saw his look of utter surprise. She could imagine what he was seeing--a disembodied head floating in mid-air. The clicking sound was closer and growing more intense. Kelen stuck out her arm, holding up a hand.

“This way!”

Ducking back into the lit corridor, she waited for the little man to join her. An instant later, he almost leaped inside. For several seconds they waited, anticipating the origin of the clicks to follow. But after another couple of minutes, they realized they’d dodged the danger.

“That was close,” Kelen observed. She carefully held out a hand toward the wall, stopping when it partially vanished. “Wow. The wall must be some sort of holographic image.”

She watched as Dox glanced around. Hunching down, he observed the glowing symbols lining the bottom of the rock wall, touching a couple of them with the tips of his fingers. It reminded her of the fact that the little man could read the markings.

“What do they say, Dox? Can you tell? Does it give us an idea of where we are?”

He glanced up at her, then back at the glyphs. Pointing to their left, he replied, “That is the tunnel to the...light.”

To the light?

He pointed to their right. “That is the way to the…” He hesitated.

“To what?” she nudged.

Dox gave a slight shrug. “Don’t know. It says farm...kind of.”

“A farm? A
farm
?” The word brought forth images of pictures she’d seen while in school. Pictures of wide open land dotted with cows and horses.

It says farm...kind of.

“What kind of farm, Dox?”

He shook his head. “Don’t know.”

“Dox, the tunnel we
had
been going down had been the one that would eventually lead us back up to the gardens, correct?” She pointed in front of them where this new corridor extended for several meters until it curved from view. “We made a right. The tunnel leading to the underground lakes was to the left. Is this the one you think Kyber took? And you say it leads to a farm?”

“Yes. I guess.”

A bead of sweat rolled down her forehead and into her eyes. She wiped away the stinging saltiness

“Do those symbols tell you how far we are from the farm?”

“No. Only in that direction.” Again, he pointed to the corridor ahead of them.

Kelen sighed. “Guess we don’t have any other choice but to follow it, and hope we eventually catch up with Kyber.”

In reply, Dox began walking, again leading the way. Kelen set off after him and tried to disregard the growing stiffness in her legs and joints.

Chapter 23

Retaliation

            “D’har! Are you all right? D’har!”

            Plat felt himself being rolled onto his back as he opened his eyes. Normally, he would punish anyone foolish enough to put their hands on him without his permission. Especially from a crewmember below his ranking. This time, however, he would overlook the transgression.

            “I am all right!” he growled, throwing out an arm. He felt his claws connect with flesh, and got pleasure at the hiss of pain he caused.

            His vision remained blurry, but he could make out the black and gray coloration of the man hovering over him.

            “Report, Verin!”

            “The little Terran, the one working on restoring our weapons, escaped. We came to notify you and discovered you unconscious.”

            Blinking cleared his eyesight a bit more, enough to where he could see Gaveer standing beside him. The man was holding onto his lower arm, and the D’har knew who he’d scratched.

            “How did you get inside this…” A glance behind Verin revealed a blackened hole that used to be the portal. They’d managed to blow an entrance into the room. The D’har realized he’d never heard the blast.

            He tried to get to his feet, but his body was seized with pain. Stifling a grunt, he got his feet underneath him, but his legs refused to cooperate. Hiding his disability from the others, he took another glance around the room.

            “D’har, the female is gone,” a third voice spoke from behind him. Massapa.

            “I can see that,
druk puk.
”

            “D’har, can you tell us what happened? Did the…”

            Plat shot Verin a withering look to shut the man up. “Are you implying the Terran female knocked me out?” he coldly demanded.

            The Seneecian quickly bowed as he took a step back. “No, D’har. I was wondering if the little Terran man somehow managed to sneak up on you while you were busy with the female and attacked.”

            Plat bristled at the man’s implication and he snarled in defiance. “Are you saying the skint caught me unaware? Are you saying I allowed myself to be attacked by lowering my defenses?”

            Verin hastily shook his head. “No, D’har! I’m sure you fought valiantly!”

            “What Verin means to say,” Massapa spoke up, “is that the Terran male was probably armed but you weren’t. The odds were against you, but you put forth your best effort before being overcome. There was nothing you could do to defend yourself, as you were weaponless against who knows what kind of twisted technology the skint used.”

            The explanation made Plat feel somewhat better. Still, the idea of a genetically-engineered Terran getting the best of him rankled.

            Gritting his teeth, Plat finally was able to get to his feet. “It wasn’t the puling skint that attacked me. It was Kyber.”

            He saw the furtive glances the men threw at each other. What he was accusing Kyber of doing was drastic, to say the least, and an immediate death sentence when they returned to Seneecia. Privately, he didn’t know if the Por D’har was responsible for attacking him, but it was far better for him if they believed Kyber instigated the attack, rather than one lone, insignificant Terran.

            Plat threw a hand out in their direction. “I don’t know how he got inside this room, but I’m certain it was he who took the coward’s approach.”

            The men swayed from side to side, dismay coloring their faces. As Plat watched their uneasiness grow, Massapa walked over to the back of the room, bent over, and appeared to touch the wall. A portion of it dropped into the floor, revealing a narrow doorway.

            “These rooms have rear entrances, D’har. The Por D’har knows about them, and must have used it to his advantage.”

            “He has the female. She must have been his main goal,” Gaveer added. “Or else he would have killed you where you stood.”

            “He
tried
to kill me,” Plat sneered. “He tried, but failed. He thinks I’m dead. All the better for us. It will mean his defenses are down. It’s the perfect time to retaliate.”

            He took a step toward the blasted entrance. His body stiffly obeyed, but it would take a few more minutes before he regained full mobility. Lifting his chin, the D’har unsteadily exited the room.

            In the center of the open area, Kleesod waited. Seeing the D’har, he quickly saluted. “Tojun is guarding the
jeevitt,
” the crewman informed him.

            “Good. You remain inside with him. Be aware that there is a rear door to the room. The little Terran skint may return and try to free his shipmates. Or Kyber may show.”

            The Seneecian’s brows lowered. “The Por D’har?”

            “He’s the one who attacked me,” Plat told him. “By doing so, he’s sealed his own death. Massapa!”

            “Yes, D’har?”

            “Which route did Kyber take when I banished him?”

            The black and brown Seneecian pointed to the tunnel slightly to their left. “That way, D’har.”

“Where does it go?”

“Back to the garden and the temple, D’har.”

Plat pointed to the tunnel to their right. “Where does that one go?”

“We don’t know, D’har. It’s an unknown corridor we haven’t investigated.”

Plat studied the black opening in the wall as he weighed his options. They could wait here for the officer’s return, but there was no guarantee Kyber would come back. The man had his female. He’d accomplished his mission. If it were Plat, he wouldn’t return to save his fellow crewmembers. He’d continue to use the tunnels to keep from being detected.

But he’s not me. He’s Kyber. He’s weak and sentimental. The Alliance was correct in never promoting him to D’har.

“We’re going in after him. We’ll find him, and he’ll be made to answer for his traitorous action when he attacked me from behind.”

Plat glanced at each man, taking longer to assess those men who’d been with Kyber when they initially crashed. They stood resolute and didn’t flinch. Better, they didn’t question him. They didn’t ask how he was so sure it was Kyber who’d attacked him when he didn’t actually see the man.

They didn’t dare.

He took two more steps. Most of his equilibrium was back, but it would take a while longer before his strength returned. Pulling a smile onto his face, Plat started striding toward the unknown tunnel, when Verin spoke up.

“D’har, that’s not the tunnel the Por D’har took.”

“I know that,” he sneered. “Kyber will expect us to go in that direction, but I am smarter than he will ever be. I know he’s gone this other way to throw us off his trail.” Pointing at the third tunnel, the D’har announced, “That’s the way we’ll go.”

As Kleesod went back to help guard the prisoners, the others followed their D’har without further questions.

Flexing his fingers, Plat loved the feel of his claws sliding in and out of their sheaths. He’d known that Kyber Nau would challenge him. He’d seen it coming for several months. Kyber had only been waiting for the right time.

The time has come, traitor. You are about to get your wish. I am going to love giving you the thrashing I have been waiting too long to give you. And when it’s over, I will drink from your lifeless body, then revel in taking your female’s body before I kill her, too.

Chapter 24

Reunion

           
Kelen smiled up at him. In the dim light cast by the glowing glyphs, her dark eyes reminded him of the depthlessness of space. Behind them, her mind was a vast, unexplored territory that fascinated him. He wanted to explore its mysteries, as much as he wanted to continue exploring her unique body.

            A smile crinkled the corners of her eyes. “What are you thinking?” she murmured in that tender voice he liked hearing.

            “I’m thinking of how little I know about you.”

            She snorted. Her breath caressed his lips. “Considering we’re two different species, that’s not unusual.” Her tone was teasing.

            “I’m also anticipating learning all I can about you.” Rolling over, he scooped her into his arm and pulled her closer. Kelen threaded her fingers through his fur. It tickled and excited him. “It may take years. Or, after all that time, I may never learn all I wish to know about you. At least it will be a pleasant adventure.”

            Her smile widened. “For both of us.”

* * *

            Kyber opened his eyes. By the pale lights edging the wall, he could tell he was still inside the intersecting corridor.

            Lifting his head, he glanced ahead of him. The Terran named Cooter sat cross-legged a few feet away. The man saw he was awake.

            “How are you feeling?”

            Kyber tried to sit up. His body protested and his head whirled. His stomach revolted, but he managed to keep himself from heaving. Reaching up, he touched his forehead and touched the wound at his temple.

            “How long was I out?’

            “I don’t know. An hour? I was leading the way when I heard a thud. Turned around and you were flat on the ground.” Cooter motioned toward him. “I took a closer gander at you while you were out. That’s a nasty-looking blaster hole in your back. The D’har’s doing?”

            Kyber cast him a dubious eye. “Twice you’ve had the chance to do away with me, and twice you’ve chosen not to act on it. Why?”

            “Why didn’t I kill you? Maybe I had a change of heart.”

            “I’m having difficulty believing you’ve changed your pelt after what you did up in the temple.” Kyber rolled his head around his shoulders. Exhaustion continued to drain his strength. He needed extensive rest, more rest than a few meager hours snatched at random, but he couldn’t allow himself that luxury. Not when Kelen’s life was at risk.