Page 20 of Einar (The Brigands of Ruk #2)

Chapter Twenty

EINAR

A loud bang at the door causes my pointed ear to twitch in irritation and my spines to rattle out a warning to whomever is at the door. I told my brothers to leave me be, that I was engaged in a life-or-death battle. How dare those frackers interrupt me!

“ Einar , what the frack? Open the drayt door now!”

“ Unless you are missing a limb Slavic , I do not have time for you right now.”

My snarl does not have the desired effect because his next words boom at me through the locked door.

“ If you do not let me in and tend to my mate immediately, you are no longer going to be needed. I will personally flush your worthless hide out the airlock. I have my very soul in my arms, and I need you brother.”

Mate ?

Slavic’s words strike a chord in me. If his mate was in there with mine, then she must be in deplorable condition. Moving my bulky body rapidly across the room, I unlock the door and glare down at my older brother. Normally I would crack a joke about my “little older brother” but neither of us are in a joking mood right now.

“ Your mate, Slavic ?”

Stepping aside, I motion for Slavic to follow me back into the medi-bay, immediately prepping the nearest bed. I do not want to be any farther from her than I have to be, so putting Slavic’s mate in the closest bed to her makes the most sense. I absently note his surprised expression to see that I have another human female in the bed next to his.

“ Put her down here, quickly. I know not what games our Gods are playing with us right now, or if we are merely being tested, but I have never been so terrified in my life, Slavic . While of course I know what humans are, and where they originate from, I lack any real knowledge of their anatomy and treatment. I am at a complete loss. The rumors circulating about their species is that their planet of origin was destroyed by a world ending storm. Bikar is doing his best to track down any information he can on their species that’s left, via the normal back channels, but he has already warned me that if he stretches his reach out too far, we may inadvertently bring some unwanted attention from the Commanders this way. It is believed that Commander DaR has put their race under his protection, but he would have to kill me before I would allow him to take her!”

As I relay what I know to Slavic , I am rapidly pulling supplies off shelves and out of drawers around the beds our mates lie in.

“ What are you talking about?”

I nod my head toward the bed that is now fully prepped for his mate and I see him shoot a glance over at my mate’s battered form as he is in the process of laying the precious bundle in his arms down on the soft surface. Surprise fills his eyes. “ Do you think they are sisters, Einar ? She was distraught when she saw the nest next to her was empty.”

“ That is something I cannot verify right now, but I would bet a sizeable number of credits that they are. The resemblance is too uncanny for them not to be.”

“ I agree, Einar . What games are the gods playing here? This cannot be a simple coincidence.”

The confusion in his voice is not something I am accustomed to hearing in my steadfast older brother’s voice, but nothing we have faced before in our lives could have possibly prepared us for this.

“ I have no clue, brother, but I wish they would have watched over them a little better. My mate’s lungs were almost completely collapsed, and she has numerous other injuries, but I have managed to get her stabilized. I have a few minutes I think, so let us see what we can do for your mate while mine is resting. First thing we need to do is get these leaves off and out of her. Whoever did this knew that the leaves would slow down the blood flow, but unfortunately infection has set in. You can already see where her skin is turning red around the edges.”

Slavic moves back out of the way so I can assess his mate. I attempt to run my handheld scanner over her to ascertain what needs attention first, but it comes back inconclusive and frustration fills me as I look over at him. “ I need you to take her to the sanitizer unit. The mixture of bug guts and your blood combining with hers is corrupting the scan. I will not get an accurate read on her while she is covered in so many viscous fluids.”

“ Will it hurt her?”

“ I have no idea Slavic , but she is unresponsive right now, so hopefully the pain will be minimal. Do not get out until you are positive that she is clean. It does me no good to work on her only for her body to be exposed to foreign bacteria that will rapidly reinfect her wounds. And be careful with her leg.”

I watch as he picks her up with a gentleness I did not know he was capable of and takes her to the sanitizer at the back of the room. The clatter of metal hitting the floor catches my attention and I see his swords lying on the ground in front of the alcove.

While Slavic is tending to his mate and ensuring she is clean enough for me to treat, I focus on the small silver chain that is defiling my mate’s body. The mere sight of it fills me with rage, so I cannot fathom how she has dealt with having such a thing attached to her and within her. Opening the drawer full of surgical tools, I find what I am looking for and remove the cutters. They are sharp enough to cut through just about any metal in the known universe, so they should have no issues severing the links of this small chain as well as the hoops that piece her flesh.

Picking up the chain, I insert that part of it into the mouth of the cutters and then press the handles down, being extremely careful not to pull up or down as there is very little slack. The cutters make a soft ‘snick’ as they cut through the chain and I pull the length of it out of the hoops in her nipples, navel and cunny. Shame makes the tips of my ears burn. She has not invited me to look at her most private places and it galls me that I will have to spread her nether lips to use cutters to remove a metal hoop from her cunny!

I hear the dryer in the sanitizer turn on and know I do not have long before Slavic returns. No female would wish a male she does not know to see her in such a state, and if Slavic’s female is her sister … she need not be aware of this either.

Quickly , but with precision, I part her nether lips, cut the hoop from the top of her hood and gently remove it from her flesh before repeating the action at her navel and both nipples. Reaching for the hand scanner, I use it to seal the small holes left by the metal in her flesh. Nano -tics later, it is as if the hoops and chain never graced her flesh. I may not be able to remove all of her scars, but I can at least fix these small areas since they have more blood flow than other parts of her damaged form.

Shivers begin to wrack my mate’s tiny body, so I pull a heated blanket out and adjust it over her as Slavic steps up next to me with his mate in his arms.

“ Do you want me to put her back on the bed?”

“ Yes , just let me get this heater set on my mate and I should be able to take a breath without fear she is going to die before I ever know her name.”

Fiddling with the heated blanket until I have it the way I want it takes a few moments and Slavic stands there, holding his mate while he waits on me. Turning to him, empathy fills me. I know how he is feeling right now and there is no judgement from me that he clings to his mate so. Eventually , Slavic lowers her to the bed next to my mate and stands there looking down at her abused form. Anger fills his face and a vicious growl rumbles in his chest. Grabbing his arm with my giant fist, I jostle him a bit to get his attention.

“ She does not need your rage; she needs your love and attention. Lock that shet down for later.”

Pushing him back out of my way, I use the scanner to assess her body. The information it relays to me is just as concerning as the reports it gave me on my mate. “ Frack , these two are a mess. Both are dangerously dehydrated and starved to the point that they are nutrient deficient. Their delicate skin has been exposed to the elements and ultimately, that will lead to permanent scarring. I will do my best to reduce it, but saving their lives is more important than a few scars. On top of that, it looks like your mate also has a nasty infection, and by the shape of the wound, it was a Velgriddix that did this to her. Her shoulder muscles are torn, and that was probably caused by fighting back. Not to mention, her wrist is angled wrong, which indicates a broken bone. I must give these little humans one thing, they are tough. Many times, I have seen lesser wounds bring a male to his knees.”

Slavic runs his meaty, gray hand over the top of his mate’s head of clean, yet tangled and matted hair. The motion gives me an idea. Slavic will be calmer if he has some sort of task, and I have just the one for him.

“ Here .”

I hand Slavic a hair brush and almost laugh at the perplexed look on his face. He has not had any hair in years, so he has had no use for such things.

“ Use that on her hair; start from the bottom and work your way up. Most females are vain about their hair, and as bright and long as hers is, I would think that is a safe observation to make.”

“ You are simply giving me something to do.”

I should have known I would not be able to pull anything over on him, but he needs a task, or he will be in my way while I am trying to fix his mate while mine also lies broken a short distance away. Rage is simmering deep inside me like a festering wound, but I do not have time for it right now.

“ Yes , you need to focus on something besides how this happened to her. Do not think for a moment that I am not fighting the same battle. Mine is so broken there is not a single piece of skin I can find, not covered in bruises or scars. I am forcing myself to help with your mate while mine is stable.”

He moves closer to the table and starts at the ends of her hair just as I said. The motions are slow and clumsy at first, but after a short time the repetitive motions become familiar and soon enough, he is fully invested in what he is doing.

Slavic is still brushing his female’s hair, but I can tell he is watching me out of the corner of his eye. Such a worrier he is. Not that he can help it. Being observed does not bother me anymore; the Aynar took care of that long ago. So , I go between the beds holding our females, assessing their wounds and categorizing what I need to repair first on which mate. Our comms have gone off multiple times but neither of us answer, as the rest of our brothers are fully capable of running this ship without us, no matter the fact that they act like younglings most of the time. Once I am sure of my next course of action, I turn and face Slavic to tell him what must be done.

“ Slavic , I am going to give her a sedative. She cannot awaken in the middle of the surgery I need to perform to save her leg.”

“ Einar , I thought you said you were not sure on how to treat them?”

“ We do not have a choice, but I understand your concern. I used it on my own mate, and she had no reactions, so it should be safe enough to use on yours.”

I offer up a brief prayer of thanks to any deity listening to for that particular blessing. It is a small miracle none of the medications I have used on them has caused more harm than good. Slavic’s eyes have gone unfocused, as if he is pondering something deeply, but as her mate, he must give me permission to begin repairing her.

“ Do you want me to proceed?”

My question brings him back to the here and now, pulling him from his musings. “ Brother , I trust you with not only mine, but all of our lives. If you believe it is safe, then do whatever it takes to heal her.”

I hold his gaze for a few tics before turning and gathering up the materials and tools I will need. His mate’s leg is in very bad shape, and I cannot afford to make any mistakes lest she be crippled for the rest of her life. As it is, the damaged shoulder will always be weaker than her other and will probably cause her pain when the weather is cold. Last but not least, one of her wrists was broken and has started to heal crookedly. Knowing I will have to re-break it and set the bone properly fills me with dread. They are so small…

Turning back toward Slavic and his female, I see that her eyes are open. She tenses up as I approach and he reaches down, touching her arm in what is supposed to be a soothing manner. I know he means it as such, but she does not. His next words are ones of reassurance.

“ You are safe little one, and we are going to get you better.”

“ I hope those growls are not telling me how you’re preparing me as a delicacy for your next alien social. I can see the menu now, ‘specialty this evening, a redheaded human being served as the main course’.”

Slavic’s yellow-green gaze looks up at me with a small smile at his female’s feistiness, given her condition. Shaking my head, I smirk. Slavic is going to have his hands full with that one. Reaching out, I turn her over slightly so that I can administer the sedative, her dark eyes following my every movement with blatant suspicion lurking in their depths. I watch as her eyelids get heavier while she fights to keep them open. It takes longer than it should for her to fully succumb to the sedative’s effects, which proves she was doing her best to fight its influence. Her eyes move to watch me as I inject her with a numbing agent.

Finally , her eyes close and stay closed as her body relaxes and her breathing evens out. Assured she is fully anesthetized, I prep her for surgery by first giving her fluids of the same saline solution that I have my mate hooked up to. Pulling my tray of surgical tools closer, I lean over her tiny form and begin the arduous task of mending her broken body. Deciding to repair the minor damage first, I reach for her wrist and palpate the bones. They do not feel that much different from the bones that make up a Rukuhks , so with that in mind, I flick my fingers as gently as I can, and feel the bones re-break. Grabbing her little hand, I pull it and her wrist apart, making room for the broken ends of the bones to line up before I reach for a holding cast and slide it over the damaged area. Pressing down, I make sure the material is snug around the break before moving on to her shoulder.

Picking up a mild accelerator, I inject it into her shoulder. This particular infusion is designed to target torn muscles, tendons and ligaments to help them regain structural soundness as well as fluidity within the joint. I dare not give her more than a small dose, as her system cannot tolerate instigating a rapid healing cycle where the accelerators force the torn tissue back together perfectly. It is hard even on species as hardy as mine and the added stress on the body has been known to cause heart failure in some species. Not a risk I am willing to take with a fragile human. Those issues taken care of the best I can, I focus on the horrific wound in her thigh. Velgriddix are nasty creatures and always leave something behind when they cause a wound. Sure enough, once I open the wound back up, I find multiple spurs in the meat of her leg. The inflammation and dark streaks around them tell me she was slowly dying from infection as well as the toxin inherent to the fracking bugs. She would not have made it much longer without medical intervention. Pulling what I hope is the last of the spurs from her leg, I make quick work of closing the wound up. It will leave a scar, but at least she is out of immediate danger. Raising up, I stretch my back out after being hunched over.

“ I believe I got all the spurs out of her leg, but we will have to watch it closely for the next few risings, just in case. Her shoulder, I hate to say, will probably always bother her some, but I was able to fully reset her wrist. I put a holding cast on it temporarily until the bones set. I feel like a back-planet medic here, Slavic . Some of these wounds could have been healed instantly, but I am too scared of the side effects that could occur simply because I do not have the data to treat them accurately.”

“ But she will survive?”

“ Yes , I believe they will both pull out of this, just not quickly. Mine has some internal injuries that have me worried. The scans say that I have reversed her lung issues, and it keeps confirming that she is stable. But whereas your mate’s wounds are new, mine were old. From what the scans are telling me, she has been abused … for a very long time.”

That thought fills me with a dark rage that comes out in a low, rumbling growl as my words hang in the air between us. A ding from the medi-bed computers tells me that the DNA analysis is done. Reaching up, I pull the screen down from where I angled it out of the way and pour over the results, scrolling through the information rapidly as I absorb it faster than most beings can think. “ Well , at least one question is answered. They are blood sisters.”

An abrupt banging on the wall causes Slavic to snarl and lean protectively over his mate. It does nothing but prod the rage bubbling in my belly. Pulling a cover out from under the bed, I hand it to Slavic . “ Here Slavic , put this on her and once she is covered, I will see what the frack they have been insistently pinging our comm units about.”

Stomping over to the door, I glance back to make sure Slavic has her covered up before I unlock the door to find Ruarc and Falon standing in the hallway. Nano -tics after the door slides open, Ruarc is in my face, snarling at me in outrage. “ What the frack is going on in here that is so important that neither one of you can take a moment to answer your comms? You are needed out here.”

“ We had pressing issues to deal with, Ruarc . What do you need?” I growl right back at him. Bikar , Murgul or Falon told him exactly what I was doing and why. I know they did, so why is he acting so fracking crazy?

“ I don’t know, maybe the fact that I have a sick Princess in my quarters and could use some help? Not to mention that Falon and Bikar have both given up their beds for the other three.”

“ Other three what?”

Slavic’s snarled question saves me from having to ask the same thing.

“ Well , if you would grace us with your charming presence big brother, you could see for yourself.”

Catching Slavic’s apprehensive look down at his mate, I rush to offer him what little assurance I can. “ They will be out for at least half a rotation. I have the monitors set to alert me if they so much as twitch.”

It is as much an assurance for myself, as it is for him. Rukuhks aren’t meant to be separated from their mates, let alone so soon after meeting them, but these are extreme circumstances. Waiting for Slavic to make a decision, I watch as he wrestles with himself over leaving his mate before following Ruarc and Falon out the door. Taking a deep breath, I force myself to follow them down the hall to the crew quarters where Falon hesitates before opening the door to his room.

“ Well ?”

At Slavic’s prompting, he presses his hand against the entry panel, and I see Slavic rub his hands across his face as we all see three frightened human females staring back at us from the far side of the main room. The more we speak amongst ourselves, the worse their fear gets. It is clear the humans cannot understand a word we are saying.

“ Get them cleaned up, clothed, and provide something to eat, Falon .”

“ I already suggested that, but they cannot understand a word we say.”

It is crushing to all of us that these defenseless females have been treated so poorly. We may not necessarily be good males, but we are not evil either. The poor little females are all emaciated to the point they are more bone than flesh. Slavic’s next words reiterate what my medical mind observed.

“ Gods , they are nothing but skin and bones. Einar , see to Kallen because in the midst of all this confusion, I completely forgot about her, and she was in very rough shape. To the point where she had given up, and she thought I was a ghost sent by the gods to take her into the afterlife. … Bikar ?”

Kallen ? So , I was not imaging things during the chaos on the Velgriddix ship. That really was Kallen !

“ I am listening.”

Mentally I roll my eyeballs, of course Bikar is listening. The annoying little shet is always listening but whether he actually heeds you or not is the important part.

“ These females are terrified, so find something on this bucket of bolts that can be used to translate so that they know what we are saying.”

“ I am on it.”

Bikar spins on his heel and heads back toward the bridge where his main computer is. Turning , I start to make my way up the hall to Ruarc’s room when Slavic’s next words stop me.

“ Einar , before you leave, if Kallen feels up to it, try to figure out how she got on that bug ship. We need to know where they captured her, and she said she was also looking for ‘ Ruby ’. Figure out who or what that is.”

Nodding that I understand, I head off to Ruarc’s room and the Princess he is hiding.