Neverwylde (The Rim of the World Book 3) (17 page)

            “Oh, dear God! Is that Kelen?” Jules asked, also horrified.

            Kyber felt his soul leap at the sound. There was no mistaking her voice, even though he couldn’t make out what she was saying.

            She was alive! She had survived the venom!

            In the next instant, his jubilation crashed as Gaveer commented, “The D’har must have Kelen.”

            Cooter scooted up next to them. “I’ll bet you a dozen blue pancakes that if Isup and the D’har’s here, so is Dayall.”

            “If they have Kelen, what about Sandow?” Fullgrath questioned.

            Kyber emphatically shook his head. “Plat would not kill him. He knows the value of a man of medicine. No. If the D’har has Kelen, he also has Sandow.”

            “Then let’s go get them!” Jules started to move forward when Fullgrath slapped a hand against the navigator’s chest.

            “Hold on there, Derric.”

            “But there’s only three of them. We outnumber them.”

            “And Kelen and the doctor could die if we barge right in there without a plan,” Fullgrath argued. He eyed Kyber. “You got a plan, Seneecian?”

            Kyber sighed. “Yes. I think I do.”

            Parking his rifle butt-down on the ground, Cooter squatted and leaned forward. “That’s one more than I got. Okay, let’s hear it.”

            Kyber clenched his fists and his teeth, willing himself to a calmer frame of mind. It would do no good to go flying into the inner tunnels and baths in a blood rage. Fullgrath was right. Those actions could get Kelen and Sandow killed, either as hostages or as innocents caught in the line of fire.

            “All right. This is what I propose.”

Chapter 26

Clash

            She detested the idea of stripping in front of the Seneecian, but Kelen knew she had no choice. She tried to read his expression. His dark eyes appeared blank, making it difficult to discern any sort of emotion. At times she thought she saw anger simmering in their depths, but trying to guess what the Seneecian might be thinking was impossible.

            The man remained by the doorway as she hobbled over to the edge of the pool and gradually lowered herself to sit on the lip. After dragging her shredded blouse over her head, she removed her boots and pants, easing them off her legs. Once she unwrapped the bandages, she slipped her lower limbs into the warm, swirling waters.

            A sigh of happiness escaped her lips. “Oh God, that feels so good.”

            Carefully, she immersed the rest of her body, up to her neck. The water was cathartic, and she loathed the idea of having to leave its soothing flow. She was still lightheaded after her illness and from being carried so far upside-down across Plat’s shoulder, as her sore abdomen reminded her.          

            Moving over to the opposite side of the pool, her rump found the ledge she remembered from the last time she was here. It was low enough to allow her to lean back against the rock side as the water bubbled underneath her chin. Stretching her legs in front of her, Kelen sighed again. She was answered with a snort. Peeling one eye open, she glared at the Seneecian, who glared right back.

            “What’s wrong?”

            “How long do you plan to take?” Isup asked with a derogatory tone.

            “What’s it to you? Got a hot date tonight?”

            The terminology was lost on the man, which both amused and irritated her.
What good is a decent comeback when it gets lost in translation?

           
She tried again. “I’m rinsing my leg like the doctor ordered. I didn’t know I was under a time limit.”

            Isup crossed his arms over his chest but didn’t answer. Kelen caught him trying to catch a glimpse of her breasts below the surface. Apparently, whatever he was seeing didn’t sit well with him.

            “Is there a problem?” she directly inquired.

            The Seneecian bluntly replied, “You are hairless.”

            “Well, a couple parts of me aren’t, but on the whole I’d say you’re right,” she lightly countered.

            “I fail to see what there is of you that the Por D’har finds attractive.” He paused, then he lifted his face. “It must be the way you function that interests him.”

            “The way I function?” It took her a few seconds to realize the man meant sex. “I’ll have you know Kyber was attracted to me before he discovered my function, thank you very much. And when we finally got around to that, he had no complaints about it, either.”

            Isup snorted again. She had discovered that kind of response from a Seneecian was equivalent to them having the last word. It was a trait Kyber sometimes used on her. She didn’t mind because she knew she’d left him dwelling on what they’d talked about. And sooner or later, when he was ready, he would bring up the subject again, either to continue the discussion or to put it to rest for good.

            She closed her eyes. The cavern grew quiet except for the rush and gurgle of the water. A couple of times she dipped her head underwater and rubbed her scalp as best she could to clean her hair. It would be hell to detangle later, and again she debated whether or not she should have Kyber shear it off to a more manageable length.

           
Kyber, wherever you are, I hope you are doing better than I am. I hope you find Massapa.

           
Sooner or later, Kyber and the others would return to the apartment and find her and Sandow gone. They’d know she and the physician wouldn’t have left of their own accord.

           
You’ll come looking for us, but will you know where we were taken? How will you know where to search?

           
“Are you done?”

            She snapped her eyes open at the interruption, but stopped short of throwing another comeback at the Seneecian. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to linger. Sandow may be needing to use the pool, too. At least there was one thing she was pretty sure of, she told herself as she climbed out of the pool. If Isup found her physical appearance displeasing, chances were he wouldn’t try forcing himself upon her. Or so she hoped.

            She took an extra couple of minutes to scrub and rinse out her clothes, or what remained of them. The flimsy garments weren’t meant to be worn days on end, and it wouldn’t be long before she and the other Terrans would find themselves having to salvage what they could to prevent themselves from going about entirely naked.

           
I wonder if Dox can make something that’ll spit out fabric?

            She checked out the sturdier, leather-like outfit Isup wore.

            “What are you looking at?” the Seneecian tersely inquired.

            “Your uniform. I’m admiring its durability. Kind of wish we had something similar.”

            “Your race was never one for far-thinking.”

            This time, it was she who snorted. There was no sense explaining the Heimer virus, or admitting to the man how accurate he was with his remark. Isup meant to insult her, but it fell flat.

            She managed to re-bandage her leg before dragging on the damp clothes. Hopefully her body heat and an hour or so in front of the fire would dry out both her outfit and herself. Now that she was out of the pool’s warm waters, she was beginning to feel chilled again.

            Getting to her feet, she staggered over to the doorway. Already her head was swimming, and she held out a hand to the Seneecian.

            “I need some support. Give me your arm.”

            Isup jerked away from her. “I do not want your illness.”

            Her temper flared. “I’m sick from a clicker bite, asshole! It’s not catching!”

            Regardless, the Seneecian refused to allow her any aid. Kelen shook her head and gritted her teeth, and pushed herself to walk back to the cavern.

            Isup opened the door, moving aside to let her exit first. Shuffling her feet, her head bowed, she stepped into the corridor. A fur-covered arm reached out, snagged her by the arm and jerked her sideways. Kelen let out a yelp of surprise and nearly collapsed when a second arm wrapped around her waist to keep her from falling.

            Isup exited the bath, a perturbed expression on his face. Kelen realized the Seneecian must have thought she’d fallen on her own. Before he could react to the truth, Cooter hissed at him. Isup turned in the security officer’s direction and the butt of the pulse rifle struck the Seneecian in the center of the face with a loud crack.

            Kyber enveloped her in a warm, welcoming hug. For several seconds, they clung to each other in silence, until Fullgrath whispered.

            “Hate to break up this reunion, but where are they holding Doc?”

            “Last room at the end of the corridor.” She pointed toward the doorway. “They have Massapa, too.”

            Cooter kicked the unconscious Seneecian lying on the ground. “Do we leave him, kill him, or tie him?”

            “We tie him,” Gaveer stated and bent over the man, reaching inside the broad belt for something. He extracted a coil of thin wire and began wrapping it around Isup’s wrists, binding them behind his back.

            “How did you know where to find us?” Kelen murmured.

            “He’ll tell you later,” Fullgrath snapped. “Okay, Kyber. One down, two to go. How do you suggest we rescue them? Wait for them to come out like we did this time?”

            Kyber started to answer, when they heard the door at the end of the corridor open with a squeak and the grinding of wood across the dirt floor. Plat took one look at them clustered in the middle of the tunnel, raised his weapon, and fired.

Chapter 27

Pylon

            Fullgrath ducked at the last second. Rock and dirt blasted from the wall behind him as he hit the ground and fired back.

            Kyber threw Kelen at Jules. “Take her! Run!”

            Kelen started to protest, but the sound of Cooter’s pulse rifle drowned her out.

            Jules tugged on her waist, almost dragging her down the corridor toward the outer door. Kelen heard a yelp of pain and feared the worst.

            “Kyber!”

            Tojun led the way. Reaching the doorway, he cautiously checked outside, then waved his hand, signaling for them to follow. Kelen glanced behind them as Jules helped her outside. Bright green flashes of light from the pulse rifle illuminated Kyber and Fullgrath’s figures, who had their backs to her.

            “Come on!” Jules grunted as he tried to support her.

            The pain in her leg had returned, but in a way she was grateful. She would rather have a wound fuss at her, so she could remain aware of how serious it was, than to have it without any feeling whatsoever, and risk the chance of injuring it further.

            She and Jules left the tunnel, hastening to distance themselves before stopping to wait for the rest to exit. Fullgrath was next, followed by Gaveer. Kelen watched anxiously until Kyber hurried to join them. Spotting her, he rushed to her side.

            “Where’s Sandow?” she and Jules voiced simultaneously.

            “Cooter’s gone for him.”

            “And Plat?” Gaveer added.

            He didn’t answer her. Instead, he tightened his arm around her shoulders. “We have to get away from here. It is not safe.”

            They continued to hear more firing coming from inside the tunnel.

            Then…it ceased.

            Cooter charged out into the open. At his heels was Sandow and Massapa.

            “Where is Plat?” Gaveer demanded as they ran up to where they stood.

            “He disappeared into one of the side rooms,” Cooter told them.

            “And Dayall?” Kelen added.

            “Hit. I don’t know if I killed him or simply wounded him. I wasn’t staying around to find out. There’s something else in that tunnel.”

            “Something else?”

            “Heads up, people! We gotta go
now!
” Fullgrath skidded sideways, toward the slope that led to the tunnel door to the nonagon. He kept glancing back at the entrance to the baths. Kelen tried to see what he was looking for. She heard them before she caught sight of them, and a coldness swept through her at the sound.

            “
Clickers!
”

            “
Run, everyone!
” Kyber roared, coming up from behind to help carry her.

            They scrambled over the slippery ground, maneuvering up the muddy slope toward the other opening, when Plat unexpectedly emerged from a doorway in front of them. A door they hadn’t known existed until that moment. The D’har raised his weapon, but Fullgrath got off a shot. It hit the rock by the Seneecian’s head, sending fragments flying everywhere. By the time the dust cleared, the D’har had vanished back inside. At the same time, Sandow pointed a finger above them and yelled.

            “We got trouble!”

            Standing at the entrance to the tunnel leading to the nonagon were at least two creatures she’d never seen before. They initially appeared to be man-sized bipeds and covered in darkish fur, until they opened their mouths and let out a hellish sound. As Kelen and the others halted in their tracks, two more gathered in the doorway.

            “Shit! Where to now?” Fullgrath shouted.

            “What are those things?”

            Before the weapons master could answer, Plat re-emerged from the new tunnel, with Isup right behind him. Both Seneecians were firing their weapons, but this time they weren’t aiming at the survivors. Their attention was on what was following them. As the two moved down the slope, more of the furry man things exited the tunnel they’d been in.

            With clickers starting to pour out of the bath tunnel, and the furry things blocking their only other way to the nonagon, Kelen realized they were boxed in. She glanced around, searching for another escape route, when Jules hollered to get their attention.