Trapped on Predator Planet, page 21
Raxthezana spit into the fire causing sparks to rise.
“I do not wish to make Ikthe my home,” he growled. “Nor do I wish to answer the whims of a despot.”
“What do we know of the BoKama’s status with the Ikma?” I asked.
“Precious little,” Naraxthel said. “VELMA, would you share your knowledge with us?”
“Of course,” VELMA said. “BoKama sought communication with me at great risk to her rank and life. She stated that there had been a development that curtailed her original plan of deposing or executing the Ikma Scabmal Kama. She did not say what the development was.”
“Were you able to find anything, VELMA?” Esra asked.
“I have infiltrated Theraxl systems with BoKama’s permission,” VELMA said. “However, I have yet to discover information that explains BoKama’s change of heart.”
“The fortress systems support sight-capture technology,” Raxthezana explained to the humans who wore quizzical expressions. “While we may communicate freely via our helmets, most citizens do not possess such devices. Our technology exists to promote the hunt. Ships and sight-captures. If your VELMA’s many tentacles reach into the highways and byways of electrical systems, there will be little for her to spy upon in the fortress.”
“Indeed,” VELMA said. “I was able to communicate with BoKama only via her ship and her helmet. My explorations lead me through the archives, the fleet of ships, communication towers and hangars. The fortress technology consists of sight-capture transmission receivers and one station where the queens may transmit off-planet to the hunters’ helmets.”
“We are blind without the BoKama,” Hivelt growled. “And without Naraxthel’s ship, we are crippled.”
“This is the matter upon which we need to decide,” Naraxthel said, his voice sober. “We know only that the sister queens live. At the Ikma’s vilest, I cannot envision her starving her people,” he said. “Therefore, I suspect the hunts will resume. What then, of the Lottery Five? As Natheka suggested, our honor will be at stake. Without further evidence of a fifth pod’s location, we are at an impasse,” he said. “We cannot search the entirety of Ikthe without aim. In the absence of more information, I submit we trek to the Great Mountain.”
“The people think we have all perished,” Hivelt said. “You ceased sending sight-captures, did you not?” Hivelt asked Naraxthel.
“I did,” he said. “Even had the landquake not supposedly swallowed my bones, I could not imagine the Ikma would expect a known traitor to continue to send sight-captures.”
“Then we are no more,” Hivelt said with an apologetic glance to Raxthezana. “We make ourselves scarce upon Ikthe. Avoid the most hunted areas. Keep to ourselves.”
“And trust our good queen to ensure our offspring are fed and cared for?” Raxthezana asked, his voice deadly calm.
Hivelt opened his mouth but tilted his head when Pattee met his gaze. He put his head in his hands, but I heard him whisper. “Afarax.” Afarax was his daughter.
“When the hunts resume,” I said. “We commandeer a ship. We return to Ikshe and depose the Ikma as we had discussed. Install the BoKama as the new Ikma Scabmal and then let us resume our traditions. Those who wish to live on Ikthe may do so,” I said, glancing at Hivelt and Pattee. “The BoKama will introduce the humans at court as honorary Theraxl, the heart mates of living hunters. A new age of change will be ushered in. We may reunite with our offspring. We may travel betwixt the sister-planets at our whim.”
“That sounds a very pretty portrait,” Raxthezana said. “But what have you to say about the kind of loyalty the Ikma Scabmal Kama commands when she has used the raxfathe to punish one who misplaced a lineage tablet?”
“Or a Eunuch found in possession of secret love letters,” Natheka said.
The mood around the fire darkened.
“What do you mean, Raxthezana?” Pattee asked. “You’ve all mentioned the Tribunal before. Is that not possible somehow?”
“It requires six Theraxl to call a Tribunal on a queen,” Hivelt said. “With the BoKama and us, we can do it.”
“The Tribunal consists of those loyal to the queen,” Raxthezana said. “Nothing short of assassination will do.”
“Ik,” Naraxthel and Natheka said at the same time.
“I had hoped to avoid it,” said Natheka. “But every zatik BoKama is in the queen’s presence is another zatik of danger. And now she has hinted to VELMA she cannot do it at all.”
“Do none of you have friends? Old lovers? Family you could call upon for help?” Esra asked. “What if VELMA could help you contact a hunter, someone with a ship? She could scramble signals, lock out control towers, whatever. They could fly here and collect whoever needed to go to Ikshe.” Her eyebrows drew together. “Someone could assassinate the Ikma.” Her voice quiet, she pulled her bottom lip under her teeth.
I felt blood drain from my face and looked at my brethren to see them likewise affected. The Ikma’s powerful fist reached into every Theraxl heart—and squeezed.
“None of us desire to risk those who might care about us,” Naraxthel said in response.
My gaze veered to Joan.
What did she make of our people and our fears?
But she stared at her hands, her thoughts hidden to me.
“We know these things,” Raxthezana said. “The sisters will not go much longer without satisfying their meat hunger. It is likely the queen will send hunters within a half-moon.” Everyone nodded. “The queen likely thinks we are gone. She may harbor a hope that Naraxthel clings to life, but she does not consider him a threat. Something prevents the BoKama from pursuing her original course,” he said. “We are left to wonder if the Lottery Five would be enough to call a Tribunal and if the BoKama would refuse to join us.”
“If we demanded a Tribunal from Ikthe, perhaps the voices of the people on Ikshe may join us,” Natheka said. “Mayhap telling our story would be enough.”
“We dare not attempt that without a ship in hand,” Raxthezana said. “Until we have a ship, we have no power. The queen may silence us. She may hunt us to ground or ensure hunters never approach the region in which we reside, forever casting us ghosts in exile.”
“The Ancient Writs and Ways explain the Ikma Scabmal Kama may never set foot upon Ikthe,” Hivelt said. “It is doubtful she or the BoKama used any sight-capture when they attempted to abduct Naraxthel. It would have been a secret mission.”
“Another reason she didn’t mind leaving the WarGuard here to die,” Esra said.
“VELMA recorded BoKama’s ship landing and her conversation with Natheka in disguise,” Joan said. “She also recorded the audio. Would that be good enough evidence to share with the Tribunal that the Ikma was on this planet?”
“Technically, the Ikma didn’t set foot on it,” Pattee said, and Joan sighed, nodding.
“She could claim she was still on Ikshe talking to BoKama over comms as well,” Natheka added.
“It could potentially get BoKama in trouble for abandoning the WarGuard,” Amity added.
My frustration mounted as we talked in circles.
“The night grows long, and the fire burns down,” I said. “We are but prey on Ikthe, subject to its whims without BoKama, without a ship, and without aid. We may trek to the Great Mountain to complete the quest, but all of its treasures will mean nothing unless the Ikma Scabmal Kama accepts, and we do not even know if she will!” The helplessness of our situation overwhelmed me. “There may yet be another human, but we cannot find them without further clues, and even if we could, they will not have the antidote to the deadly bacterium found in the air! We have no answers but my heart mate’s legs tremble in pain from the devil dog attack. Why do not all of you continue this useless discussion? I take my Joan to her rest.” Standing, I met Joan’s startled gaze and walked around the fire until I was at her side. Lifting her up, I carried her to the dugout while the others remained silent behind me. Let them remark, but my priority was to my mate.
Once inside, I placed her with care.
“Forgive me,” I said. “I should not have spoken for you at the fire’s side.”
“You surprised me,” she said. “But my legs are killing me. And I know where you’re coming from. I understand why you’re frustrated and afraid.”
“It is true,” I said. “I fear. I fear the Ikma Scabmal Kama. And I fear your death.”
Reaching for my glove, she found it and squeezed.
“I won’t live forever,” she said. “And whenever I die, it will hurt you. Probably a lot.” Rolling to her side, she relinquished my grip and instead reached up to caress the side of my helmet as if it was my cheek. “But you will live through it.”
I couldn’t help the painful gasp at the thought.
“You endured the loss of your mate,” I said.
“Yes.”
I rested my hand on her hip and gripped her until I pulled her close enough that I could feel the length of her along my body.
“Nor are my people immortal,” I said, my voice a low rumble in my chest. “But I would delay your mortality as long as possible.”
We lay together for several rotiks.
“I need to talk to my colleagues,” Joan said. “Thank you.”
Dipping my helmet at her, I crawled out to take first watch. Hearing her speak of her own death did not sit well; I wouldn’t sleep for some time.
Chapter 55
Joan
“Private channel, girls?” I said, pinging my colleagues.
“What’s up?” Esra said.
“What are your instincts telling you about the queen and the BoKama?” I said.
“We need more information,” Amity said. “The BoKama was all in. What could have changed?”
None of us had answers, so Amity spoke again. “I asked Natheka once why didn’t anyone close to her assassinate her in her sleep? She’s been off the rails for some time. Natheka asked me if I would do that, and I had to be honest. I couldn’t see myself killing someone in their sleep.”
“You’re suggesting BoKama would only act in self-defense,” Pattee said.
“I think so, yes,” Amity said. “If she told VELMA she needed to change tack, then she no longer feels an immediate threat from the queen.”
“That makes sense,” Esra said. “Maybe she’s bedridden. Maybe she got sicker.”
“Or maybe she got better?” I suggested.
“How do you get better from madness?” Pattee said.
“When we could hear her shouting at the BoKama, she sounded unhinged,” Esra said.
“Are you talking about the event in the meadow, when Natheka wore Red’s armor?” I said.
“Yes,” Amity said.
Nodding, I made a noise. “There’s mental illness, and then there’s narcissism,” I said. “If she appeared to “get better”, she could exert more control over the BoKama,” I said.
Amity groaned. “That is not what we need. A fully functioning Ikma Scabmal Kama who can’t be accused of insanity? Damn.”
“True,” I said. “What if there was a way to lure her here? If she exits the ship, VELMA could transmit the video of it. Maybe that would be enough to impugn her governance to the people.”
“We definitely need to utilize the technology wherever we can,” Pattee said. “Even if we only managed to get the BoKama here, if nothing else, the hunters could hijack her ship. They can still keep up the ruse that the BoKama is just as much of an enemy as the Ikma. That would keep her safe.”
“I like that,” Esra said. “She is just as much of a victim.”
“Well, keep thinking about it,” Pattee said. “We’ll come up with something.”
We closed the channel, but I couldn’t stop thinking about how trapped we all were. I felt like there was a solution just out of reach, if only I could grasp it.
I’d fallen asleep to dreams of an angry queen when I felt big arms scoop me up into an embrace.
“You were thrashing, Joan,” Raxkarax said. “Are you in pain?”
I groaned a little. “I’ll have VELMA give me a dose via my suit,” I said. “I don’t want to move.” I don’t want to leave your arms.
“You are a practical sort of female,” he said. “Given to much thought. I like this about you.”
Sighing, I let myself relax into his arms as he gathered me close.
“I don’t know why you do,” I said after a minute. “But I’m thankful.”
“I accept your gratitude, little daughter of the sky,” he said, and I closed my eyes. “But I vow you will feel more for me in time.”
The tenor in his voice brooked no argument, and I’d be lying to myself if I said it didn’t send a thrill straight to my center.
Before the painful discussion over the fire, I’d been feasting on Raxkarax with my eyes. I didn’t know I had a thing for shoulders until I was forced to see Rax’s day in, day out. The powerful definition even with the gnarly wounds, took my breath away. Without his armor piece, the wound didn’t heal as fast, but it still healed faster than human injuries.
Hands clenching with the desire to stroke his shoulder, I’d forced my gaze to wander over the rest of him, and never came up wanting. His armor molded to his muscular frame, and we’d spent enough time together, and I’d watched enough footage, that I knew what his face looked like.
Dark brows that slashed over his eyes, strong squared-off jaw with firm lips cut by the gleaming white lance of fangs, high cheek bones and aquiline nose, and those black eyes with the red iris. Unforgiving features promising menace and war and yet—even at his angriest—I felt safe with him.
“Will you wake me for my watch?” I whispered.
“No,” he grumbled with sleep in his voice. “I took yours.”
Dammit. The melting of my heart might suggest I was falling for this massive, passionate alien. But I knew that wasn’t possible.
Because it started a long time before tonight.
Chapter 56
Raxkarax
Scrubbing my chest with my dampened cloth, I inspected the bite marks on my shoulder. Ever would I bear the scars and gouges from the devil dogs, but I was glad to be alive.
Natheka joined me at the giant shallow water basin Pattee had helped us make. Pulling out his own cloth, he washed himself, too. The barrier wall allowed a modicum of freedom seldom enjoyed, and my brothers and I had removed our helmets and armor in order to clean up. Likewise had the women removed their helmets and unfastened their flight suits to the waist.
It had been many weeks’ time since I’d seen Esra and Pattee, and I could see that the planet had carved itself into their muscles and bones, their skin and sinews. Amity’s curves belied her strength, I noted, as she carried a large rock to the firepit and placed it with care, the movement effortless when she lifted it again to change its placement.
Joan, not as long on Ikthe as the others, retained a delectable softness in the roundness of her bare shoulders and grippable waistline spilling over the suit at her middle as she squatted near the barrier wall and picked at a tuft of moss she found. I longed to knead her skin as I tasted her but closed my eyes against that vision for a jotik.
The skin not covered by her “sports bra” as it was so named, bore bruises from our battles. I admired the hint of bumps from her spine down her back and the way her black hair ranged in a fall obscuring her face.
With delicate fingers, she pried the moss away from the rock and held it up to the light, her hair falling back and revealing her studious expression and pursed lips. Hooded dark eyes focused on the moss, she didn’t see me coveting her body—her soul—and I drank my fill.
“Caution, my brother,” Natheka said in my ear as he slapped my abdomen. “Your codpiece may not keep you in check at this rate.”
Growling, I snapped my cloth at Natheka’s ass, though his armor rendered it meaningless.
“Only recall what the nursemaids taught us,” I said with a smirk. “Waited-for-bread tastes the sweetest.”
Natheka’s laugh softened when his gaze sought out his heart mate and found her.
“The nursemaids were never wrong,” he murmured and walked away; I no longer existed in his world. When I looked at Joan again, she had a stylus in her hand and a book. As I wasn’t in her world either, I decided to trek to the nearest stream and fish.
A zatik later, I sat scowling at the decimated fish in my palms, sighed, and threw it back. Perhaps another week in the stream would give it time to put fat on its bones but I doubted it.
“Ik, the fish are poorly this season,” Raxthezana said from behind me. He sat and stared into the lazy water while I stabbed a fat grub onto my hook and dropped my line in again. “My hunter will be eating well, however.”
“How is that?” I asked, casting him a side glance. He seldom mentioned his offspring.
“Our place in the Domed Mountains huddles beside a fast-moving stream,” he said. I heard a smile on his voice with notes of wistfulness. “I taught him to fish when he was but three cycles. He took to it with ease and often cooks our meals.”
Naraxthel eased himself on my other side.
“Sleep evaded me last night as I thought about our predicament,” he said. “Once more, I beg your forgiveness,” he said. “Both of you. Had I been more diplomatic—or more worldly—”
Raxthezana grunted. “I lay the blame squarely at the feet of the Ikma Scabmal Kama,” he said.
“As do I,” I agreed. “None of us could know how the Lottery Draw would turn out.”
“The stress of the unknown wears on us all,” Naraxthel said. “But I worry about the humans.”
“I wondered if my outburst disturbed Joan,” I said. “When I returned from my watch, she suffered a nightmare. I woke her, but perhaps I should have let her sleep through it.”
“Judging by the way she watched you break your fast this morning, I wager you are forgiven,” Raxthezana said without irony.
