Challenging Saber (16 page)

“Come here, you ugly bastard!” Dagger shouted, waving his arm inside the cage.

Taylor turned and looked upside down at Dagger. He had run a long cut along his arm, deeper than the one she had drawn with the knife and was waving his blood covered limb as bait. She watched in horror as the creature lowered itself and charged.

Dagger pulled back just before it struck the bars. The impact shook the dome with such a force that it knocked Dagger backwards over the bench seating and knocked Taylor’s feet free from where she had them braced. A scream tore from her throat as she started to fall. Her right hand wrapped around the bar and she swung in a crazy arc for a moment before she was able to grab the bar again with her left hand.

“Taylor, move it!” Saber roared as the Gartaian rose drunkenly to its feet.

Taylor swallowed down her fear and swiftly continued down the other side of the dome. She was almost fifteen feet up when the creature roared again. Glancing over her shoulder, she could see it twist around, this time facing her.

“Let go!” Saber ordered.

She didn’t think twice. She released her grip on the bar and dropped the remaining few feet. Saber caught her in midair and turned, pulling her out of the dome just as Ace and Trig released the gate, trapping the beast inside while Sword engaged the heavy metal lock.

The loud shrieks of the Gartaian drew a shudder from Taylor. She wrapped her arms tightly around Saber’s neck and buried her face against his shoulder. Her body was trembling uncontrollably from shock, fear, and adrenaline.

“That was amazing, Taylor,” Lonnie whispered, staring at the Gartaian then at her.

“That was crazy,” Trig muttered with a shake of his head. “Let’s get out of here.”

*.*.*

Taylor sighed. Saber refused to put her down. She wasn’t going to complain, at least not yet. At the moment, her body was still quivering from reaction. None of the men really talked. Cain and Ace led the way down the corridors to where the grate in the floor was located. Razor, then Hunter, went down first, followed by Sword and Thunder. After a few minutes, they came back and motioned for Trig to hand them Lonnie. Saber reluctantly set her on her feet before he dropped down through the hole. She watched him, worried when she saw his mouth tighten in pain.

Sitting down, she twisted and tried to drop down on her own, but he caught her around the waist and lowered her to the ground. She started to ask him if he was okay, but the look of warning in his eyes stopped her. Instead, she gripped his hand and stood to the side so that Dagger, Trig, Cain, and Ace could follow them.

She staggered when another blast shook the mountain. Saber wrapped his arm around her waist to steady her. With a nod to Razor to let him know that they were ready, the small group moved down the tunnel.

“The man with the purple eyes said to keep left at all times and it would lead to the base of the mountain. He told us to go east, that there was a rebel group in the mountains that would help us,” Taylor whispered.

Saber squeezed her waist before slipping his hand down to grasp hers. She saw him finger the knife at his side. A small smile tugged at her lips. He was probably going to be doing that a lot for a while to make sure she hadn’t taken it.

It took them a couple of hours to make their way through the maze of tunnels. The tunnel divided three times before they finally saw a small shaft of light coming from the end. Early morning light lit the circular entrance.

“Our skids should be just over the rise,” Sword said, striding forward. “We came in through the upper level drainage. We didn’t know there were two.”

Thunder paused behind Sword, scanning the area. Taylor leaned back against the side wall next to Lonnie. She glanced down. The little boy was almost asleep. Bending, she sat down and pulled him into her arms. She didn’t blame him. The last few weeks, sleep had been a luxury.

“We’ll go get the skids,” Thunder said. “We can use them to take you around to the others. Once we have them all, we can double up.”

“Hunter and I can go for ours,” Razor said with a shake of his head. “It isn’t that far. Thunder, I want you and Sword to head out. There is a mining facility not far to the west. We need to know what kind of production is being done. This is more serious than we thought. Be careful. Get back to base as soon as you find out the information,” he ordered before he turned to Trig. “Trig, you take Ace and Cain to get yours, Dagger, and Saber’s skids. We’ll meet back here. Dagger, you stay and help guard Taylor and the boy.”

Dagger nodded, checking the charge on his rifle. “I’ll scout the area. I haven’t felt any tremors lately, maybe the fighter transports have finished,” he said, gripping the weapon in his hand.

“Wait,” Taylor muttered, gently laying Lonnie’s head down. “Let me check your arm first. Do any of you have your emergency pack with you?”

A low curse escaped Saber and he rose to his feet. “Dagger’s not the only one who needs medical attention,” he said, propping his rifle against the wall and reaching into the pack at his waist. “He can take care of himself.”

Dagger’s eyes glittered with amusement. “Ah, Saber, your concern is touching,” he chuckled.

“Remind me to kick your ass when we get out of this,” Saber muttered, turning his back to Dagger and gently raising Taylor’s arm. “Let me take a look at the cut.”

Taylor rolled her eyes at Saber. The scratch on her arm was nothing compared to the nice long slit on Dagger’s. She could see the fresh blood still seeping through the piece of torn shirt he had wrapped around it.

“His cut is worse than mine,” she protested in a quiet voice.

“I don’t think arguing with me at the moment is a good idea,” Saber said, spraying the disinfectant with a numbing agent in it along the cut before running a thin laser to seal it. “I can’t believe you did that. Do you have any idea how dangerous that little stunt was?”

“Don’t forget her escape from the tower,” Dagger pointed out as he replaced his own first aid kit.

Taylor shot Dagger a heated look. “Aren’t you supposed to be scouting the area or something?” She snapped out in aggravation.

Dagger grinned and picked up his rifle. “As Jordan would say, I can feel the love,” he replied with a soft chuckle. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

*.*.*

Saber nodded, watching as Dagger disappeared out of the drainage tunnel. He returned his attention to Taylor when she swayed. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to his body.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, resting his cheek against her head.

Taylor barely moved. He could feel her relax against him and couldn’t help but savor the moment. It seemed like a lifetime since he had last held her like this.

“I didn’t plan on any of this happening,” she said with a sniff. “Achler… What he did to those people… To Ember.”

Saber held Taylor, stroking her back in slow, calming strokes. If he ever wanted to know what it felt like to be powerless, it came when Taylor cried. These tears were different from the ones she had shed the day she had left. If he thought that it felt like his heart was being ripped out then, it hadn’t changed. Each silent shudder tore at him.

“If I could wipe the memories from you, I would,” Saber whispered. “Even a hardened warrior is not immune to the horrors of war. That you should see it so much in your life is unforgivable. It would seem that our presence has done nothing but bring you heartache and grief.”

Taylor pulled back, a flash of stubborn anger on her face. Saber tenderly brushed her bruised face. He wished he had access to a full medical unit.

“Don’t,” she said with a shake of her head. “Jordan, Jesse, and I all made a deal to never think of the ‘what might have been’ or the ‘what if’s’. We promised we would just look ahead and make the best with what life gives us. Things happen for a reason. I would never have met you if your people hadn’t come.”

Saber turned his lips into the palm of her hand and pressed a kiss to the center of it. How he could have turned her away he would never understand. She was truly a gift from the Goddess and he came very close to throwing that gift away.

“I love you, Taylor Sampson,” Saber groaned, threading his fingers into her hair.

Taylor tilted her head back and gazed up at him with a sly, watery smile. “Does this mean you accept my claim of you as my
Amate
?” She asked.

A soft chuckle escaped Saber and he nodded his head. “Yes, I accept your claim,” he murmured before he sealed his lips over hers in a heated kiss that promised more to come.

“Saber,” Dagger called as he entered the tunnel.

Saber broke the kiss and automatically reached for his rifle. Dagger was scowling as he stepped back into the shadows. A moment later, Sword and Thunder stepped inside. All three men had an expression of disgust on their faces.

“What is it?” Saber asked, glancing back and forth between the men.

“So much for rescuing the captives,” Thunder said bitterly. “They took our skids.”

“What about the others?” Saber asked, looking at Dagger.

“They are gone as well,” Hunter said, stepping into the tunnel.

“I won’t be surprised if ours are gone as well,” Dagger said, turning and leaning against the wall so he could look out over the terrain. “Trig, Ace, and Cain should have been back by now if they had them.”

Saber turned to look at Razor as he came back. “What about the fighter transports?” He asked, releasing Taylor when she stepped to the side and slid back down to the floor so she could cradle Lonnie’s head. “Did you see any sign of them?”

“No,” Razor replied with a shake of his head. “The fortress is pretty much leveled. They probably assumed no one survived, and if anyone did, they would be trapped beneath the rubble.”

“I hear something,” Hunter said, turning his head toward the entrance. He stepped closer to the opening so he could look out of the tunnel. “It’s Trig, Ace, and Cain. They have the skids.”

“Three are better than none,” Razor said, stepping out as the men drew closer. “Did you see anything?” He asked, standing back as Trig, Ace, and Cain pulled up to the mouth of the tunnel and shut down the skids.

“Patrols out to the south,” Trig replied. “That’s why it took us so long. We had to find cover as they scanned the area.”

“Where are the other skids?” Cain asked, climbing off of one of the airbikes.

“Gone,” Hunter replied in disgust. “The captives that escaped must have found them and taken them.”

“Three skids can’t carry everyone,” Ace said, looking around.

“Do you think there could be anything in the fortress worth salvaging?” Taylor asked, looking up at the men. “Surely we could find something of use. Maybe make a sled or something to pull behind them.”

Hunter smiled down at Taylor. “You are just as smart and innovative as your sisters, you know that, right?” He teased.

Taylor grinned up at him. “Where do you think I learned it from?” She asked with a raised eyebrow. “We didn’t survive for four years on the streets without using our brains.”

“No, you didn’t,” Hunter replied in a soft voice.

“We’ll need something that we can pull behind them,” Trig said with a frown.

“Or carry between them,” Taylor suggested, biting her lip. “You don’t want to leave any tracks. Maybe there is a way you can make a type of catamaran.”

“Catamaran?” Saber asked with a puzzled frown.

Taylor nodded. “It was a type of boat that had a hull on each side and a canvas or a solid center between it. Those riding on it sat in the center.”

“That makes sense,” Saber replied, looking up at Hunter and Razor. “If what Trig said, they have patrols out, the last thing we want is to leave a trail for them to follow.”

“Sword, Thunder, Cain, and I can take a look in the fortress,” Ace said, starting to turn when he heard Taylor release an expletive before she called his name.

“You’re bleeding!” She told him, staring at the back of his leg.

Ace shrugged. “A minor wound when we were running across the courtyard,” he said.

“It still needs to be taken care of,” Taylor insisted. “In this type of environment, it could become infected.”

Ace’s eyes crinkled at the corner. “I will attend to it once I step outside,” he replied.

“Do you want me to take a look at it?” She asked in concern.

“NO!” Both Ace and Saber said at the same time.

Taylor frowned. “Why not? I deal with wounds all the time,” she asked with a puzzled expression. “It doesn’t look too bad, but it still needs to be taken care of just in case.”

“He can take care of it himself,” Saber informed her as he shot a warning glance at Ace.

“I don’t want to destroy what’s left of my clothing,” Ace added with a lopsided grin. “It would be best to remove my trousers to seal the wound.”

“Now that is not a sight I would want to see,” Dagger retorted.

“Oh!” Taylor whispered as the realization of what he was saying sunk in. “Okay, well, if you need help, I’m here,” she offered with a blush.

“I appreciate the offer, PT Taylor,” Ace said with a bow of his head. “Come on. We will go see if there is anything we can salvage.”

“We’ll go with you,” Razor said. “Everyone keep an eye out for patrols. Something tells me that the Waxians are going to realize that we aren’t as easy to kill as they thought and will be coming back to make sure the job is finished.”

Saber and Taylor watched as the other men left again. Saber moved over and sat down next to Taylor when he saw her shoulders droop. He would have to be blind to miss the dark shadows of exhaustion under her eyes.

“Is there any way to notify someone that we are here?” She asked in a tired voice.

Saber wrapped his arm around her and pulled her as close as he could without disturbing the boy in her lap. He leaned back and stared out at the bright morning light. Tilting his head, he rubbed his chin against her hair.

“No,” he murmured. “This mission was not sanctioned by the rest of the council.”

“Saber,” Taylor whispered, closing her eyes and relaxing against him.

“Yes, my
Amate
,” Saber said in a gruff voice.