Discovery at Nerwolix (7 page)

I’m not dying here.

For a while, it’s the same: Vermix come in,
speak over one another and argue through hissing snarls. They
gesture around—and to me every so often—before leaving again,
shaking their heads in low, disagreeing grumbles. This goes on for
a time as the two sitting Vermix continually clean their Traxpires
to the right of me.

I’m not sure how long I’ve been awake,
watching the same scene when a smaller Dofinike rushes in,
motioning to the other Vermix. “The Supreme Leader is on his
way.”

The Vermix dedicated to cleaning his
Traxpire refuses to look up. “Is he issuing our return?”

“Not as I am informed. He comes seeking our
status.”

“All is as it was,” his angry eyes flicker
to me. “Nothing has changed.”

The other Dofinike cleaning his weapon looks
up, glancing between his partner and the small newcomer. “Perhaps
he wants a final confirmation all is as it should be before
returning.”

“It has been,” the first growls, raising his
Traxpire. “We should have left immediately.”

His partner shakes his head. “He believes
the Fychu and Blovid will return.”

“For her,” he aims his weapon at me and I
think my heart stops.

“You must not!” the smaller one cries,
throwing his talons between us. “She is not to be harmed
until—”

Talons scrape across the stone, echoing
through the tunnel on the left. It’s not just the few Vermix that
have been coming in and out, but an entire herd that shuffles in,
all speaking over one another and focused on the center of the
group. One voice carries above the others, demanding attention as
he waits for a response to something he asked.

“Yes, Supreme—the Pweboles are dead.”

“All?”

“Most. A few escaped. Shall we search for
them?”

“No,” the one from the middle says, blocked
by the others. “Let them live for now. They may be of use later
on.”

“Yes, Supreme.”

“And Blovid’s hideout? It has been
thoroughly searched?” he asks as the herd of Dofinikes moves
further into the space, all surrounding him. “What was found?”

“Only a spit and Carring hides.”

“This is all?”

“Yes, Supreme.”

“And how many are on watch there?”

“Eight.”

The crowd slows as the center Vermix turns
to the other, speaking in a calm and even tone that sets a chill to
my bones. “And we think this is sufficient?”

“Supreme?” his voice quakes.

“I thought I expressed myself
clearly
,” he pauses, the entire herd halting as the air
grows cold. Even the Vermix cleaning their Traxpires look up,
alarmed at the eerie silence that has overtaken the cave. “Blovid
and the Fychu will return—of this I am certain. I require their
capture to ensure the end of this revolution, and you think a mere
eight
can overpower them? When a fleet of twenty-five could
not before?”

“We have multiple areas under
surveillance—”

“If they are allowed to escape again, you
will force my hand. It is not something I particularly enjoy but
nonetheless, I would advise you to take stock in the rumors—I have
no vendettas against collecting Commanders’ heads. Do not delude
yourself into thinking you are an exception.”

“H-how many troops would the Supreme
require?”

“Fifty. Minimum.”

“Yes, Supreme. It will be done.”

“Once the traitors are seized, I want them
on Dellapalania along with the captured,” he moves forward and the
surrounding Dofinikes follow. “With their removal, it shall make
for an easier invasion.”

“Are they to be executed before or
after?”

“Once we secure the Floating Ruby, I will
present it along with those captured to Dellapalania. She will
rally for the Shadow Bag to put an end to this prophecy. And with
the Mybyncians still weakened, we will be able to overthrow them,”
he pauses. “I have not decided at which point Blovid and the human
will be executed. Theon may demand imprisonment for his son.”

“And you will grant this?”

“The Fychu is far too dangerous to be left
alive. Theon will get sick quickly, and with his death, the Fychu’s
will immediately follow,” he moves closer to the two Vermix sitting
with their Traxpires in their lap, the herd of Dofinikes still
surrounding him. “I want fifty additional guards surrounding this
bunker. Twenty five outside and twenty five in. Have another fifty
placed in a thirty foot radius.”

The glaring Vermix nods as the herd of
Dofinikes start to shuffle back toward the tunnel out.

“Are we taking the captured back to
Dellapalania now?” the Commander asks. “Or after Blovid and the
Fychu are seized?”

“Now,” the Supreme responds curtly. “I have
every expectation this will go without a hitch. Have her in the
dungeon no more than fifteen minutes after I arrive. I will send
for confirmation.”

Still hidden by his entourage, the Supreme
leaves and I’m left with only the two Vermix cleaning their
Traxpires. After a solid minute, they glance to each other and then
to me. Finally, the first looks to the second.

“We may have to steal the hundred troops
from Arosin, now that we know where Blovid and the Fychu will
be.”

The glaring Vermix keeps his focus on me,
lifting his Traxpire again. My heart races, all air caught in my
chest as he speaks to his partner without breaking his stare. “They
will not be pleased.”

“But if the Supreme commands it…”

“They volunteered for Arosin. Larupip is a
bitter wasteland,” he gets to his feet and stalks toward me.

Involuntarily, I step back. The rope brushes
against my raw wrist but I don’t feel it. I only feel the heavy
pounding in my chest as the Vermix leans in and snatches my face in
his talons. They’re sharp, piercing into both cheeks and my chin.
But I don’t scream. I don’t jerk back or cry. I just focus on his
yellow eyes, pegging him with the same intense glare he’s giving
me. His hand tightens and for a moment I think he’s going to crush
my head.

He wants to. Everything in his expression
tells me so. And he’s seriously considering it, his talons digging
deeper into my flesh. But finally the pressure abates and he’s
letting go. The pain is gone and just as I’m breathing a sigh of
relief, his talons fly across my face, knocking me back. The sting
rips through me, my skin quickly rationalizing the severity of what
just happened.
God
that felt like four angry blades ripping
my flesh open. My head hangs, blood dripping down my chin to the
ground below.

“Little bitch,” he whispers in my ear,
nudging the Traxpire under my chin. He pushes my face up, his own
inches from mine.

I’m not sure what he’s waiting for. He’s
ready to do it. Even with orders to keep me alive, he’s battling
with himself, weighing the options. One shot. It’d be one shot and
it’d be over. Finally, he yanks me forward by my tee, squeezing the
gray material in his talons. This is it. He’s going to do it. But
he only sneers. I’m about to sigh a second breath of relief when he
flings me back and I hit the wall with force. Agony erupts at the
impact, my wrists screaming again at the rope rubbing them raw.
With the sudden jolt, I feel broken. I have no energy to hold
myself up, so I hang limp by my arms, ready to collapse, ready to
close my eyes and let go. But I can’t. The blood trickling down my
face and the pain shooting up my arms are a constant reminder that
keep me awake, keep me conscious.

“They are here!” someone calls down the
tunnel. “They are—”

Screaming erupts, followed by a Traxpire
igniting and shouting. Lifting my head, I focus on the tunnel’s
entrance, unsure this is really happening. Maybe I’m just imagining
it. Maybe that Vermix hit me so hard that I’m unconscious, and this
is all a dream.

But both Dofinikes ready their weapons,
moving to stand in position as the shouting and firing draws
nearer. Before I’m really able to see it, a Dofinike races into the
space, crawling up the walls and toward the ceiling in seconds.
Focused on this, both Vermix take aim but they’re hit in their
chests, orange explosions ripping through their hardened torsos.
They fall to their knees and then flat on their fronts, smacking
the hard, rocky ground. My focus flies to the tunnel’s
entrance.

Reid.

He’s rigid, emitting fury like I’ve never
seen. Eyes wide and livid, he absorbs my appearance, his free hand
shaking into a fist. I haven’t seen him this enraged since Mantis
got a hold of me. And I’m pretty sure I didn’t look as beat up then
as I do now. Racing over, Reid shoots the rope above my head but
catches me before I fall. Threading his head between my bound arms,
he swiftly scoops me up, cradling me to his chest with an iron
hold. Still clutching his Traxpire, his pained eyes flicker between
mine, fury haunting his expression.

“I’m here, baby,” he says through gritted
teeth. “Just hold on.”

“Reid…”

“God—your face,” he growls, squeezing me to
him. “Just hold onto me. I’ve got you.”

Grabbing an unconscious Pallooloo under his
arm, Sampson flies in front of us, racing over the walls. “Go!”

I grip Reid around his neck and press myself
to him, melding my body to his. Keeping my face buried in his
chest, I inhale his scent, letting it overwhelm me as screams carry
on in the distance.

“Jothkore!” Reid calls, gripping me. “Five
more!”

“I have them—go with the Fychu!”

I try to lift my head to peek, but with the
way I’m positioned, I can only see over Reid’s shoulder behind us.
One Dofinike squares off with a small group of Vermix, throwing
punches and holding his own as they close in on him.

“He needs help,” I whisper into Reid’s
neck.

“He’ll be fine—we need to get you out of
here.”

“There’ll be a hundred here in minutes.”

“We don’t need minutes,” he jets to the side
and I grasp him even tighter. “Hold on,” he shoots his Traxpire, a
cry of pain erupting. Something flies at us—I can tell since Reid
jets back, but another howl escapes and Clarence’s voice carries
from somewhere.

“We need to get her out of here—now!”

I squeeze Reid and he takes off in a run,
every few seconds stopping with a jerk to the side or backward.
Holding his Traxpire under my back, his grip on me never lessens as
we race through the darkness, Sampson keeping pace as he scales the
walls, Pallooloo tucked under his arm.

“He’s here,” I say. “Reuzkimpart.”

“We know,” he spins as Clarence tackles
three more Vermix ahead.

“They want to capture Sampson and
Blovid.”

Reid laughs. “They won’t.”

A glimmer of white lights up the end of the
tunnel and Reid races there as fast as possible. Crushing me to
him, he jets forward and then halts as a blockade of Vermix block
the exit, the white disappearing.

“Sampson!”

Shots fire, orange explosions lighting up
the darkness as a Dofinike flies overhead. With my face mostly
buried in Reid’s chest, I can’t see much. He squeezes me to him,
not an inch of space between us. More shots erupt and Sampson’s
voice carries over us.

“Now!”

Reid races forward and we emerge into the
light, the cold immediately descending. I’m shivering against his
chest, soaking up his warmth as a quick crunch-crunch-crunch sounds
below, howls, cries and shouts carrying on in the distance.

“What about Jothkore?” I ask.

“He’s already out.”

“How?”

Suddenly I’m flying, skidding with speed
through the snow. Coming to a halt, I’m instantly frozen as I scan
the frigid white wasteland around me. What happened? Where’s Reid?
We were hit and then—

A Vermix stands over me, bleeding from his
snout. His talons hang determined by his hips as he peers down at
me through narrowed yellow eyes. I instinctively go to push myself
up but find my wrists are still bound.

Shit.

Scooting back, I get nowhere and the Vermix
advances. My heart pounds with panic, the cold burning into my
exposed forearms and neck, but I’m too drowned in his lethal,
abhorrent stare to notice. Quickly calculating, I’m about to roll
to my side when he pulls out a long whip and lifts his arm. Fear
chokes me. I can’t move. I can’t do anything other than stare at
the razor-sharp edge of the weapon, memories resurfacing of the
pain as it carved through my arm on Harrizel. My breath hitches and
he starts to bring it down. But before he can, Reid’s foot collides
with his snout and the two tumble to the ground.

Both spring to a stand, the Vermix drawing
back the whip and letting it fly with a hissing crack. Reid dodges
gracefully, rolling to the ground. He swings his legs out, knocking
into the Vermix who stumbles slightly. But in this moment of
instability, Reid is on his feet again, delivering blow after blow
to the Vermix’s soft patch of stomach. The Dofinike swings,
reaching for Rox, but he’s too fast. Too quick and exact in his
movements that the Vermix continually grabs for nothing around him,
yet consistently gets hit with swift, sharp jabs. Finally, he lifts
his whip again, intending to bring it down on me. At this, Reid
jumps on the Dofinike’s back and with both hands around his head,
sharply twists to the side. The Vermix falls forward, landing in
the snow with a hard smack.

Reid stands over him, fists shaking and
panting. His crazed eyes move from the Vermix to me. Reaching down,
he grabs his discarded Traxpire and pulls me into his arms. “You
okay?”

“Uh-huh.”

“We’re leaving right now. Once Clarence
can—”

But Reid stops.

His eyes widen and I know something is
wrong. Following his stare, my stomach drops. Vermix encircle us,
not more than a few meters out. These must be the new troops from
Arosin. And Reuzkimpart had wanted fifty. Shit. Where are Sampson
and Clarence?