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Chapter Twenty-Seven

MAYA

T he five sulthari warriors surround us. There’s nothing else you could call them really—dressed to the nines in a mixture of metal and leather armor, wielding very deadly weapons, and looking even more serious… It’s not like they are going to some fancy-dress office party that I missed the memo for.

“Stand down,” Volan commands. The words echo off metal walls, firm and unyielding. The first warrior hesitates, spear wavering. Multiple luminae pulse rapidly, betraying everyone’s uncertainty.

Volan’s lips stretch in an attempt at a reassuring smile, though tension lingers in the way his shoulders remain stiff.

“Honestly, Tanis, there is no need for this,” Volan says. “These are my guests. There’s no need for weapons.”

One of the warriors—Tanis, apparently—shoots Volan an uncertain look, his eyes flickering between each of the males that have positioned themselves in front of me like living shields. Finally, his gaze settles on me, and he blinks as if seeing me for the first time.

“We received your message this morning, as requested,” Tanis confirms, his voice careful. “The King has been informed of your return and awaits you.”

The blood drains from my face. Message? This morning? My stomach twists into knots. The pieces suddenly click into place—this morning when I woke briefly to find him gone—he must have sent word ahead.

Every confident step through these tunnels, every moment he seemed to know exactly where we we’re going, and now the convenient appearance of these warriors—he was leading me straight into a trap.

“You...you did this?” I whisper, the betrayal stealing my breath. “You sent for them while I was sleeping?”

Volan’s luminae flickers, and for a moment, I see something that looks like guilt cross his face before he masks it.

“Everything we shared,” I choke out, “all the things I told you—was any of it real? Or was it all just to get me to follow you here? Why?!”

“You are all to be escorted to meet with the king,” Tanis declares, lowering his weapon completely. He’s clearly uncomfortable with this display of emotion.

“Why are we going to see your king?” I demand, confusion and hurt mingling in my voice. “I need to get back to my colony! I have to warn them about what Walter is doing!”

Volan stares at me for a long moment before a sigh slips through. “It’s complicated, Maya.”

“No, it’s really not.” I laugh bitterly. “I trusted you to help me get home. You promised me.”

Volan flinches. Actually flinches.

“Wait a moment!” I spin to face Tanis. “Are you seriously just going to take us to your king like we’re some sort of... prisoners?”

“You are not being arrested,” Volan says firmly, stepping between me and Tanis. “You are my honored guests. There’s simply a... protocol that must be followed when someone unauthorized enters the lab. Once we’ve spoken to the King, he’ll see that us being here is just a misunderstanding—easily cleared up.”

“Protocol?” I shake my head in disbelief. “You brought me here.” I jab a finger into Volan’s chest, fury fueling each of my movements. “And now I’m being treated like I’ve done something wrong! I need to go home!”

I mean, Melvall and Zoran were kind of trying to steal the medicine... But I shouldn’t be arrested. It’s not fair.

Volan stares at me with an unreadable expression, a maddening, emotionless mask. When he acts like this, how can I even tell what’s a truth or a lie? I so desperately wish to believe him, but I can’t. Not when he doesn’t let me leave. Not when he led me straight into this situation.

He doesn’t even defend me.

He never cared for me at all.

“Volan, please,” I beg. He knows how important this is to me. He knows just how badly I need to return home. He owes me this. “I can’t be arrested. I have a quest to complete. I have a colony to save.”

You know, that’s pretty important compared to a dinner date with some pompous royal, I think to myself, wisely keeping my mouth shut for once.

“Maya, I’m just trying to do what’s best for everyone,” Volan tells me.

“Like hell you know what’s the best for me!” I snap. I shake my head as I back away from him, coming to stand beside the two equally crazy other males being arrested. “I trusted you!”

It’s ironic that I now trust two virtual strangers over Volan, and yet here we are.

Volan turns away from me. He refuses to meet my eye. He won’t even glance in my direction! It feels like he’s physically struck me. A part of me hoped and prayed that he did care, that he would keep trying. Instead, he’s all too easily moving on.

I suck in a breath, anger coursing through me. Volan was the one that led me here. There was no way I could know. But he knew. I’m not being overly dramatic here; the pain is genuine. He knows how bad he’s hurt me.

“Does this mean I’ll get to fight in the pits again? Given another chance, I think I can win this time.” Zoran leans his head down towards me, flashing his teeth in a hopeful smile. “Will you cheer for me, little human?”

“Fighting in the pits shouldn’t be fun,” Melvall replies with a shake of his head. “Why did I listen to you when you insisted we come here?”

“Technically, you were the one that insisted on coming here to this particular room,” Zoran replies, tossing a lock of black hair over his shoulder with a dramatic flair. For all appearances in the moment he looks like a drama queen being put out, and not at all like he’s talking about throwing himself into a deadly fight. “We need more medicine, you said. I kept telling you that I’m happy to fight for it, but no, you insisted there was an easier way. Look at us now—we’re going back to the pits! I could have saved us the walk.”

The warriors approach us, some with weapons still at the ready. I do my best to stand tall, and definitely not quake in front of them. Let’s face it, having a dude twice your size towering over you with a weapon large enough to turn you into a skewered kebab would make anyone nervous.

Me? I’m simply frozen to the spot.

Whenever it counts, I always freeze, I realize. I could have done more when my father pressured me to marry, asked for help from others, but I slunk off to hide instead. When Ariana went missing, I hid behind code and programming rather than go out and search for her. For the first time in my life I have acted, and honestly… In hindsight, I was so not ready for this adventure.

I’m still that shy girl, controlled entirely by my fear.

“I’m sorry,” Tanis tells me as he approaches, “This is standard protocol for any found in the restricted areas.”

Melvall and Zoran hiss their displeasure—what, are they both part snake now?—as the male binds my wrist with a rope. I stare down at my bindings, blinking back frustrated tears from my eyes.

At least Tanis has the decency to look apologetic. He’s just following orders, I can’t blame him. As far as he’s concerned, I’m the criminal here.

I can blame Volan though. This is all his fault, after all.

“Restricted area?” Melvall scoffs, dancing lightly out of the way of the oncoming warrior. The male gives him a desperate look, like he really doesn’t want to be caught up in this drama. Don’t blame him. “It’s not like you had signs up saying ‘don’t come down here’.”

I nod in agreement. If there had been signs… I probably would have still come this way, after all I had a quest to complete. But at least I wouldn’t have been blindly walking into this trap. I mean, assuming I could even read them that is.

Still, if there were signs, maybe I wouldn’t have needed to follow the back-stabbing, betraying prince to my doom like some helpless damsel.

Zoran steps up beside me, and at first I think it’s to offer me some emotional support. Instead he holds his hands out to the closest approaching warrior, giving him a grin that borders on suspicious. Okay, more than that - he’s flashing pointy teeth like he’s begging the warrior to even attempt tying him up.

The warrior watches him closely, as if he’s expecting an attack at any moment. We all do.

At least someone here is sane. Zoran’s far too excited about the prospects of being marched off to the fight pits… oh jeez, maybe he’s just got a kink about being tied up?

I need a plan. I can’t go to the fight pits. I can’t become a prisoner, and I definitely refuse to become some broodmare for some alien. I need a solution on how to get out of this mess and back to the colony. I start to list out all my needs, practically graphing everything out in my mind. I need to get back to the colony. I need to oust Walter, and any other corrupt individual.

My mind is working a million miles an hour right now. Maybe it’s fear that’s making it feel all jittery, jumping from one idea to another. It’s a very real possibility, after all. But I’m long accustomed to not feeling safe, and I know how to push through those nerves.

I look down at my wrists. Tanis has barely even tied a knot. I wouldn’t even need to try hard to free myself. In fact, I could probably just slip it off like some sort of fabric bangle. Could I just run…? Not that I would get far with five—six, including Volan—big alien warriors quite capable of outrunning me.

I’m going to need allies.

Someone who can help me distract these warriors so that I can make my escape. But then what? Let’s face it, I’m not equipped to run around the Atraxis wilds. Those stories the hunters told us, the ones I thought were to scare us into compliance like little kids, well it turns out that they were totally not exaggerated at all. I definitely need a warrior on my side if I’m going to survive reaching the colony again in one piece.

It might be a little heartless and untrue, but I can totally work the way they treat females as “vulnerable” and “defenseless” into my advantage.

Something tells me Melvall and Zoran will both be down to helping me out. They’ll likely jump at the quest of freeing some poor, defenseless and vulnerable females at the colony from oppressive overlords—little do they know just how much human females can kick ass. Just wait till they meet my friend Chrissy. She trains practically every single moment, all so that she might one day become one of our town guards.

What I’m really relying on is that most people haven’t considered that there is another power player here; the king. I just have to convince him that my colony is worth saving. You know, without killing half of the residents, or putting the rest into some sort of slavery situation.

No biggie.

With my head held high, I follow a warrior through the doorway and down the corridor we came. Melvall and Zoran follow close behind. I keep my head down, playing my role of a weak and defenseless female. Meanwhile Zoran seems more interested in trying to start up a conversation with anyone, and I mean anyone. This guy must be an extrovert. Only an extrovert will think it’s a fun past-time to chat to his guard.

I gasp when, at my side, Melvall suddenly stumbles forward. One of the guards has pushed him.

“You will treat them as honored guests,” Volan snaps, shoving himself between the guard and Melvall.

Oh, sure, he’ll defend them but not me. Though I have to wonder if it’s all part of some act—like the portrayal of a caring prince, and not a soul-sucking heart-stealing male.

Melvall mutters beneath his breath, lamenting his relationship with Zoran.

“Bad day?” I ask my fellow captive, giving him a soft, commiserating smile.

“Have you met many of these males yet, human?” Melvall asks with a sigh. “They cause more trouble than they are worth sometimes.”

“I...”

“Do not fret,” Melvall sighs heavily. “It is a bad day, yes, but one I hope we all survive.”

“You hope?” I ask as I stumble to a stop. That really doesn’t sound encouraging...

Behind me Tanis nearly walks into my back. He grunts. “Please keep moving, female. It’s best if we don’t keep the king waiting. He’ll not be pleased to know where we found you.”

“I only led Maya there to seek shelter from the scampers!” Volan replies, his voice a growl. His eyes meet mine with an intensity that makes me look away. There’s something in his gaze—regret, perhaps—that I can’t bear to see right now.

A couple of the warriors stifle laughter, as if those horrifying bugs were something to be terrified of. Have they not seen them?!

For a prince, they sure don’t seem particularly reverent toward him. Maybe he’s from a big family, the very last in line out of like a dozen princes? Or he’s a brat, and the guards are tired of dealing with him—it certainly fits his current reputation.

“You’d dare risk even the slightest of threats to a vulnerable female?” Volan roars, marching towards the warriors with his chest puffed out. The lights on his body pulse furiously, giving him a strange appearance of stop and start motion. Wisely their jests quickly quiet, some even looking ashamed at their behavior.

The fact that the warriors listen to Volan is proof enough that he’s brought them—and the threat they bring with them—down upon us. He has the power to command my release, and yet he doesn’t…

“Let’s just get this over with,” I snap, losing patience.

I feel so lonely all of a sudden.

I have absolutely no idea who I can trust, and I really desperately want a friend I can rely on right about now. Absolutely none of my plans or ideas are of any use right now—I’m useless.

I hate this feeling that’s weighing down on my chest, like the ceiling is closing in on me. A quick glance confirms just solid rock above me... Solid rock that can crush and destroy me in a heartbeat. I’d prepared for weeks for an adventure. I carried everything I thought I’d need on my person every single day. You’d not believe the number of pockets I’d sewn into my skirt... which always begs the question why it didn’t come with them in the first place?! Men’s clothing always has a dozen usable pockets, yet women are just expected to carry everything in their hands? Given we are the fairer sex expected to generally look after a miniature human too... we need our hands free, so it makes sense we have the most pockets, right?

My hand slips inside my pocket, brushing against the solid form of my tablet. It’s a familiar weight, but not as comforting as it used to be. In the colony it gave me some freedom—I could hack my way through security locks if I really needed to get someplace, like conveniently escaping a room. But here?

I’m so alone.

Apparently, there’s no better way to make one feel small than show them a view of an entire city. The first thing I notice is the noise. As we draw closer to our destination a dull roar fills the air; the kind of noise you get from hundreds, if not thousands, of people speaking at once.

Then Tanis is pushing open a door, and the world completely changes, revealing an impressively large cavern. The ceiling just lifts up and away. What were once a few small glowing crystals lighting our path suddenly become massive clusters suspended from the rock; dim light turns almost blinding now that my eyes have adjusted to the dark.

There are aliens everywhere. I was shocked to see so many harkcana attacking our town... but I had absolutely no clue there were this many aliens living on Atraxis. Greens, blues, reds... My eyes catch glimpses of long tails and fur and feathery wings.

I stand and gape, completely overwhelmed. I’ve met aliens before... but I’ve never been surrounded by so many at once. When my father used to host events, it was always a few guest aliens amongst hundreds of humans. This time, I’m the odd one out.

“Keep moving,” Volan barks from behind me, making me jump. “Tanis, guide us directly to the throne room. I want to get Maya into a secure place immediately.”

Volan’s hand falls on my shoulder, forcing me to walk at a brisk pace. A part of me is grateful for his guidance; without it, I would still be staring in absolute awe and disbelief.

Hundreds of eyes turn towards our party, all manner of faces unrepentantly staring—and they are all looking directly at me . As we move along, pushing through the crowds, my skin itches at the attention I’m given. Every single being surrounding me is a male. I can’t see a single female here.

Everyone around me is dressed with a variety of armors—or sometimes the lack thereof, which they are quick to display. It’s rather intimidating when many smile with sharp teeth as they wield rather forbidding weapons. I’m like half their size, with a tiny slingshot.

There’s no way I can fight my way out of this one.

“Little female, how about you and I leave this place together,” one male calls out. He gives me a cheeky grin with sharp teeth to go alongside his cheesy pickup line.

On Earth it might have worked, but here, feeling so isolated and vulnerable, has me quickly backing up.

A hand wraps around my waist, drawing me closer to a warm body. I glance up to realize I’ve stepped closer to Volan.

A part of me hates how I seek his comforting presence. I’m strong on my own.

I can… I can do this. Right?

“I don’t need your protection,” I snap, pulling away from his grasp. He grits his teeth, but doesn’t say anything as we move forward through the crowd.

“I never meant to hurt you,” Volan eventually tells me. The sincerity in his voice almost makes me believe him—almost.

“I don’t think I can forgive you for this,” I reply, keeping my voice low.

“I made you a promise, Maya; I won’t let anything happen to you.” He speaks softly, so much that I barely hear him over the buzz of excited talking surrounding us. He says it like his promise means something, like he hasn’t hurt me enough already.

Why do his words sound so ominous?

“I hope that includes us too,” Melvall mutters, stepping a bit closer. “It’s not like we were doing anything wrong.”

“Other than just casually liberating some medicine like you own it?” Volan asks, with a quirked eyebrow. The humor in his voice sounds forced, not at all like his usual casual response.

“There’s plenty of beings that need it. There’s younglings that get hurt all the time... granted a few scraped knees, but infection is always a worry. And that’s ignoring how you males keep rushing at each other with blades. Do you know how hard it is to keep you all alive when you only have so much product to go around?”

“Wait... are you mad that people are trying to kill each other or that you’ve run out of inventory?” I ask, chuckling breathlessly at the absurd idea.

“Can it be both?” Melvall asks with a somewhat guilty expression. He sighs. “I don’t charge the younglings at least. They always get priority no matter what. Besides, if they are too young, they won’t understand the concept of trade at all. Seriously, I once had one try to trade me a rock. A rock! Sure, it was all sparkly, but it was still a rock.”

I roll my eyes. The way that Melvall keeps glancing at me, a forceful smile stretching across his face, I strongly suspect this story is to distract me from this situation. Too bad I’m an anxious mess, and nothing at all will distract me from this disaster.

“I plan to ask the King for his help,” I admit. “I have to get back home. Staying here is not an option.”

“He won’t help you,” Volan snaps. He sighs heavily, dragging a hand through his hair. “My father is not interested in any above-world situation, other than dealing with those who encroach upon our territory.”

“You sulthari aren’t exactly known for being hospitable to guests,” Melvall agrees. He waves to the males around us—the myriad of half-clad warriors who stop to gaze at us as we pass. “I mean, you literally shove them into an arena to battle just to earn the right to trade with you.”

Volan grits his teeth. “My people are warriors foremost. We respect those who can fight. We are not barbarians cutting down every imagined foe.”

“Let’s just say we’ve all heard the stories about what happens to those who... displease you sulthari warriors.” The way Melvall’s spikes flatten against his body, the tension in his shoulders, the subtle way he keeps glancing at the guards—everything about his demeanor screams danger. He’s terrified, though trying not to show it.

“And those who can’t?” I ask, pointedly looking up at Volan. “What happens to those of us who can’t fight?”

It’s become apparent that I’m not equipped for this, both physically and mentally. It’s not like I’ve ever heard the saying ‘don’t bring a slingshot to a sword fight.’ Is this why Volan’s so quick to hand us over, because I can’t fight? Am I weak in his eyes? Does he have some warrior-woman on the side? I never thought to ask. I was so wrapped up in his embrace. He made me feel strong and capable...

I turn my head away from him, blinking furiously at the burning sensation in my eyes. He set this all up. He brought me here on purpose. Even if I can see hints of regret in his eyes now, it doesn’t change what he did. I’m absolutely heartbroken that I let myself trust him. Worse, I fell for him, practically throwing my heart at him with a declaration of love.

As a group we come to a standstill in front of two impressively large metal doors. They look reminiscent of vault doors, like what you might see being used at a bank or other secure location. I’m not even sure our starship had doors this thick and imposing to be honest, not even to the airlocks. Because you know... they shouldn’t look like a bad idea to open mid-flight through the vacuum of space.

Volan moves closer to me, his voice so low only I can hear it. “I promise I’ll explain everything later. Just... trust me one more time. Please.”

I almost laugh. Trust him? After this?

I stare at the massive doors before me as they open wide, the inside darkness beckoning, ready to swallow me whole. I’m walking into a mad king’s lair, one who apparently has the tendency to make people disappear… and Volan’s the one who brought me here.

And he asks me to trust him?

How can I trust anyone, ever again?