Page 12 of Redeeming Captivity (Human Pets of Talin #7)

Chapter 12

Tarquin

The light change of the setting sun woke Tarquin, though he was reluctant to rouse Lena. It was only when his Ident started to chime that he had no choice.

“Lena? Brave Lena? We need to go,” he said, kissing her forehead.

She made an unhappy sound and burrowed further against him. “No.”

He didn’t want to move either. This was a very nice spot. The boulders making up the walls of the shelter radiated heat even now that the sun had dropped below the horizon. Even with the temperature dropping, this spot was still comfortable.

There were enough blankets and pillows to make another nest back in the barrack, so it was only logical to leave this nest here for future use. Hopefully he only had another rotation or two before Holian’s people arrived to pick them up.

As if to remind him of the formal dinner, his Ident chimed again.

“I have to attend an evening meal,” Tarquin explained.

“No,” she repeated, even as she sat up. She gazed around at the nest and her hidden spot with a frown.

“We can leave most of this here,” he explained. “You can come back here any time I have to do other things.”

She nodded, looking relieved. Then she started patting around looking for something. He swept his gaze around also and noticed she’d only consumed one of the food packs.

“I’ll get you some food before I go,” he said. “That way you can have something hot to eat for your evening meal.”

She nodded as she pulled out one of the information squares from the blankets. Her face didn’t display any fear at returning to the barracks. Perhaps this was an indication of her healing from her fears.

Or it might mean she planned to sneak back out here after he left. That thought made him sound a rumble of amusement.

She tilted her head, asking what was funny.

“You’re thinking of returning here, aren’t you?” he asked. Her mouth dropped open and he knew he’d guessed correctly.

With a huff of indignation, she smacked him gently on his arm.

“I’m sorry if you’re not a mystery to me,” he said with another amused rumble. He couldn’t help it. He felt inordinately happy.

Crossing her arms over her chest, she gave him a stubborn look. If he knew she was going to return, she wasn’t going back to the room with him now.

A sudden sharp wind started blowing. The howl was so loud he thought for a moment a ship was screaming by in the sky over them.

One moment there was no breeze, and then it was roaring and small pebbles were pelting the shelter and rolling harmlessly to the ground. Now he understood why there were so many pebbles gathered on one side of the two boulders and not the other.

Her eyes went wide and she grabbed for her boots. After living here for two years, he didn’t need to tell her the danger of this wind. She’d probably seen or heard about the results of someone getting caught out in it.

He pulled his boots on as well. Once they were both wearing their footwear, he leaned over and swept her up in his arms, ready to carry her back to the barrack.

“No!” she cried, struggling against him. Unsure what was going on, he let her back down. She grabbed the information square and stepped back up to him. He’d forgotten that humans could become attached to inanimate objects. He was thankful that was the only thing she refused to be parted with.

Picking her back up, he cradled her against his chest. “Try to make yourself small,” he instructed before stepping out of their shelter. “I’m going to move fast; hopefully we can beat the worst of the wind.”

Lena curled her body around the information square and put her arms over her head and neck. She remained perfectly silent, probably fearful she’d distract him if she made any unnecessary noises.

He wanted to comfort her, but didn’t have the time. Gathering his legs under him, he leaped. The wind was intense and almost knocked him off his feet.

The moment he was no longer sheltered by the boulders he was hit by pebbles hard enough to sting. The repeated warnings about the killing winds he’d been asked to read weren’t exaggerated. This was only the mild beginning of the storm. Soon it would be strong enough to pick up rocks the size of his head and hurl them with enough force to embed in a building.

Moving between the larger boulders was slow but safer. It took longer than he liked to make it to the path, but once he was there he sped up to a full sprint.

Now he understood why the path wasn’t only cleared of rocks but also dug down so it was lower than the surrounding terrain. The difference in elevation gave him some protection from the wind and pebbles.

He pushed his body hard and covered ground at a pace he couldn’t keep for long. Despite all this, he came to a skidding stop within sight of the barracks.

Something wasn’t right.

Listening to his instincts, he jumped to the side, off the path and between a set of boulders. They weren’t as large or protective as Lena’s shelter, but it was enough to keep from being blasted by the wind.

Lena popped her head up and looked around, confused. “What?”

“Not sure,” Tarquin admitted. He was breathing heavily so it was hard to get the words out. He pointed to the ground. “Stay.”

Lena nodded and crouched down. She touched his leg. “Careful.”

“Always,” he promised before making his way around the other side of the boulder. Moving from boulder to boulder, he got closer to the barracks. Nothing was obviously wrong. The door to their room was shut and the display marked the room in use. All the doors were shut and the displays registered the rooms as unoccupied.

As he watched, shadows started moving. He didn’t see them at first. The armor they were wearing was advanced and made them blend in perfectly with the background. He’d only seen such armor on spy-scouts before, never on regular military.

If he’d taken even a few more steps down the path, they probably would’ve seen him and Lena. His instincts saved his life.

Thankfully the soldiers were focused on the barracks, not looking behind them. Moving with coordinated ease, they converged on the door and placed something on it before backing away.

The door blew open and they rushed into the room. He heard another explosion from the backside of the building. There must’ve been two sets of soldiers and one of them came through the back wall of the barrack.

This was a deliberate attack carried out by skilled and well-outfitted soldiers.

He was meant to die tonight. This attack must’ve been the reason Jafinium had arranged the dinner to happen after dark. If he’d followed the timeline, he would’ve been here and outside getting into the transport waiting for him. The soldiers must’ve thought he saw them and decided to breach the room.

Turning back, he made his way back to Lena. She startled when he came around the rock then stood up and grabbed him around the waist.

Hugging her back, he leaned over and put his mouth to her ear. “We’re not safe here. The port is close, we can shelter there.”

Lena pulled back and shook her head at him. She pointed at the port, then the main part of the base, and then the town. “Ion.”

Tarquin silently cursed. He’d forgotten about the ion fields that were normally turned on during attack but would also be used for the storm. The guest barracks and food hall were newer buildings outside the ion shielding.

Lena pointed to the way they’d come. “Shelter.”

She was right, going back to her nest between the boulders was their only choice. By now the soldiers realized he wasn’t in the room and were leaving the site. They didn’t even bother coming down the footpath. If he was outside, they probably thought the storm would do the job for them.

“We might not make it,” he warned her as he picked her back up. The gusts were becoming more frequent and violent even in the short time they’d spent talking. “If I put you in the barrack and they come back, you’ll be safe. They’ll just take you back to Jafinium.”

Lifting her face, she gave him a quick kiss. “No. Never. No.”

He wasn’t surprised by her choice. “Curl up, brave Lena.”

She did as he asked, and with no more time to spare, he jumped out of the slightly protected spot and started running.

Lena

They were in a race against the wind.

Within the first forty rotations of arriving on Wulnum, Lena experienced the winds firsthand. The keeper she’d traveled to Wulnum with had been distant, but kind and took her out for a walk every day. They never went far from Jafinium’s house, and on that day they were heading back when the winds started.

They became full strength within a few submarks. Lena was picked up and flung against the side of Jafinium’s house. The door had automatically opened and she’d been able to crawl into safety. Her keeper wasn’t so lucky. A rock struck him on the back, knocking him down.

Lena watched through a closing door as a second rock took off his head when he tried to stand back up.

That was the first time she’d screamed on Wulnum, but it wouldn’t be the last time.

Less than a submark after he was decapitated, the ion shielding went up and everything went silent, except for her screams.

That was also the first day Jafinium hit her. The sound of her terror annoyed him and he pulled her up from the floor by the front of her wrap and slapped her. She’d been stunned into silence.

That would turn into his favorite way to discipline her.

Thankfully the winds she and Tarquin were traveling through were mild compared to that day. Even so, she was still feeling sparks of pain every time a small rock hit her exposed areas. Her right arm and leg would be covered with bruises tomorrow.

She could feel Tarquin working hard, running flat out. His breathing was labored and his powerful body was pushing hard. She wished there was something more she could do to help, but being still and quiet was all she could offer.

He stopped suddenly and she felt him bend his legs. Risking a look, she moved her hand and opened an eye in time to see the path disappear as he leaped into the rocky area beyond it.

Sand immediately got in her eyes and a rock impacted her cheek. Covering her head, she blinked rapidly, trying to clear the sand out.

Tarquin’s stride turned uneven as he traveled over loose rocks and rough ground. It wasn’t until she heard one of the impacts that she realized he was taking blows from rocks the size of her fist. It wouldn’t be long before the wind started picking up even bigger stones.

If they didn’t get to the shelter soon, both of them would be dead.

She’d rather die in the winds with Tarquin than go back to Jafinium.

A gasp and whole body shudder was her only warning, and then she was falling. She hit the ground hard, pain bursting out from her hip and lower back. Doing her best to shield her eyes, she rolled up to her knees and looked around.

Tarquin was on his side, not moving.

Scrambling to him, she found blood seeping from a wound on the side of his head. They were both lucky in the fall, landing between boulders and mostly shielded from the rocks, but sand and stone were still ricocheting around them.

Leaning in close, she put her face next to his. He was breathing evenly and the spot had already stopped bleeding. He was knocked out, not dead. She was relieved, but they weren’t out of danger yet. When the wind started tossing around bigger stones, they’d ricochet between these stones as fast as the little ones but they’d be much more deadly.

A glance around showed that they were only two or three strides from the shelter, but it might as well have been a kie-field away. Tarquin was big even for a Talin; she’d never be able to get him into the—

Wait, the bag full of yesterday's purchases was still in there!

Scrambling around the corner of the leaning boulder into the shelter, she was relieved to see that not only was all the stuff still there, but the place was even better sheltered than she’d expected. Only fine particles of sand were swirling around the inside. It would be a safe place to last out the storm, but only if she could get Tarquin in here.

Grabbing the bag, she upended it, spilling the contents out. After some frantic searching she found the bright red rope she’d been fascinated by. She’d thought about trying to weave it into a decorative belt, but with that and the blower Tarquin had decided to purchase, she was going to save his life.

First she secured the blower to one end of the shelter. It had three pegs meant to burrow into hard earth, so it struggled with the stone but eventually dug in. She’d seen a demonstration of the device during a drill. It was when she was newly arrived and Jafinium took her everywhere to show her off. Those early days gave her a large catalog of knowledge about the planet and tools and weapons the soldiers here trained to use.

The blower was meant to help pull or lift large loads when no hover carts were available. It was loud, and as far as she knew no one ever used it, but Tarquin had bought one because she’d touched it.

Thank the ancestors for Tarquin’s indulgence!

Feeding the rope through the blower, she made sure it was locked in then unwound the thin but strong rope through the shelter, around the leaning rock, and to Tarquin. Securing the rope around his ankles, she clicked the remote in her hand to activate the blower.

Her mistake was evident immediately. Tarquin was easily dragged the distance from where he fell to the corner of the boulder. Then the rope put stress on his legs trying to pull him around the edge of it.

She shut down the blower before it could rip Tarquin’s legs off and looked around. Her eyes were tearing profusely, trying to clean out the sand that was constantly being flung in her face. Her forehead, cheeks, and neck were raw from pebble strikes.

Worse yet, it was only a matter of time before she was hit with something more substantial than pebbles.

Frantic to get them both safe, she untied Tarquin’s legs, fed the rope around a different boulder, then retied it to him. She watched carefully as the blower pulled the rope then stopped it when Tarquin’s head cleared the corner. Doing it all again, she got him positioned headfirst at the shelter. The final untie/retie pulled him fully into the shelter and safety.

Now that they weren’t being pelted by rocks and no longer in danger of dying, Lena collapsed next to Tarquin without even untying the rope. She hadn’t done this much physical labor in solars. Not only had she strained her muscles, but she hurt from both the fall and the storm rocks.

Reaching past Tarquin, she pulled a sheet over both of them, hiding away from the flying sand and dust. Beyond their shelter, rocks smashed together and the wind screamed. Closing her eyes, she sent a silent prayer to the ancestors.

I know I’m human and not Talin, but one of your most brilliant males is here with me. Please don’t take him away yet.