Prey (Dark Monster Fantasy Book 1) Read online

  The top of her head broke the surface.

  Zarblu didn’t know her very well. She could be fucking determined too.

  She reached up and peeled away the top of the mask, exposing her eyes.

  Mud oozed off her as she turned in place, looking for movement in the shadows. This ceremonial room was large. The lights were all on poles and shaped to appear to be lit torches. No one...

  Still no one.

  She slid to the side of this long tub on wheels and slipped over, landing on the floor on very wet feet that splattered mud. She took off the mask and pulled the snorkel from her mouth, the clip from her nose and sucked in some wonderful lungfuls of air. Blessed air, she supposed, considering all the muffled chanting she’d heard.

  Mud plopped off her everywhere, but quietly, and she fetched the sword from among the reeds.

  The one other thing she knew would be here, because this ritual had been going on for centuries – was that there would be another tub full of clean water. She padded to it, checked the depth and slipped in.

  No longer clean.

  By the time she’d washed and dried herself, the sword was over its shock and talking. She tipped the last of the water from its sheath and shushed it.

  “You know my main ability, girl human?”

  “Uh.” Caught at the door by its interruption, she considered leaving it behind. “You cannot talk while I sneak! If you’re going to I will leave you here...in the mud.” As a threat it wasn’t bad. Her sword might be waterproof, but given enough time, moisture would get in.

  “Look. Look. My ability is spatial awareness, geographical mapping, and esoteric data retrieval. That means I know stuff.”

  So did her implanted memory bank, though she normally relied on starwebz data searches and couldn’t here. They might be monitoring the fortress for transmissions.

  “You know stuff,” she muttered, trying to figure out where she was from the corridors before her. She wasn’t where she should be. A long, wide area stretched before her. Tall columns went up high enough for flocks of birds to be wheeling about. Though deserted, it looked nothing like what she’d pictured.

  “Stuck?” it asked, smugly.

  “Yes. Okay. Look. Guide me well and I will bring you, but don’t talk unless I ask.”

  “Absolutely, mistress. My name is Smorg, by the way. It’s a word thingy play on sword and something I forget.”

  Word thingy? Mila silently laugh-cried at that. She wiped her eyes. “Very well, Great Smorg of the fantastic memory, lead me.”

  She was lost but could gather her own spatial awareness as she walked. Even if Smorg led her astray. There were hours yet before they’d move Tiana.

  “Where are we going again, mistress?”

  “To the chambers where the sacrifice waits before being taken to the Sacrifice Hall.”

  “Oh. Umm. Straight ahead until I say to go left.”

  Mila drew a long breath and stepped out. Her boots barely squished, but she did leave wet prints.

  Half an hour later, Smorg announced in a whisper that they were only a few doors away from their goal, then he squeaked. “Grab it!”

  Something long and brown slithered to her feet before it spun, as if to run away. She pounced and found herself holding a small reptile.

  “What do I do with it? What is it?”

  “Wait...retrieving cache...it’s a loopzard. They’re used to track people by smell. Feed them blood or other body fluids and they will find the person then report back to the person who set it to track them. I assume that means you gave Zarblu some blood?”

  “Something like that.”

  The dark-eyed lizard wriggled to get loose, but when she gave it her thumb it latched on and sucked. Seconds later, it burst into wriggling again. Further down this corridor, more brown things were surging past the lights and vanishing as they ducked into shadows.

  She had an emergency. Whoever they reported to had set a few on her. They’d be here soon, if she let the loopzards go.

  There was only one thing she could think of that might work. Mila snapped the chain holding the piece of Zarblu then crammed some fragments down the critter’s mouth.

  “Pray it eats this, Smorg, or you may have a master not a mistress soon.”

  “Oh,” said the sword. “Oh dear. Wait, is that a problem for me? Because it really doesn’t sound like one.”

  “Shut up.”

  The loopzard gulped, swallowed. She set it on the floor then clasped her hands while it ran in circles. Then it sped off.

  “Yes!”

  “It might be reporting on you.”

  “Never!” It’d worked. She knew it in her bones.

  Juggling two loopzards at once turned out to require the skills of an acrobat but she managed to do it while force-feeding them bits of Zarblu. In all, four of them had to be caught and treated.

  Whatever it did, the four loopzards didn’t come back. No alarms sounded.

  To her amazement, sneaking into the room where Tiana waited required zero break-and-enter skills. The door slid back and she discovered why. Tiana was chained to a wall. In a very average décor cell. She had cushions and a blanket, but still...

  “Primitive,” she said softly as she walked to her long-lost sister.

  Tiana was beautiful, as always. Even sobbing on a floor. Her pure black hair, the long white gown. The figure any man would lust after.

  And here she was, still coated with mud in a few places, with damp hair and damp clothes.

  “Are you okay? I can get those off. The uhhh manacles.”

  “What?” Finally she noticed Mila and wiped her face, sniffing away tears. “Oh. Fuck me. You came.” Her words were so quiet they alarmed Mila and she looked about again to be sure this cell was empty of others. “You came.”

  “Yes. Blood, you’re my blood, Tiana.” Her throat tightened and her head throbbed. No crying. One of them crying was enough. “You’re family. I had to come. But listen to me.” She kneeled and began to figure out how to undo the manacles. This was all so prehistoric. The locks dated from some ancient time. The design could be cracked by a two-year-old.

  “Did you send me about five messages?”

  “Yes. Sorry. I was panicking. You were my only hope.”

  “I think he wanted you to message me.”

  “What? Why would he want that?”

  To catch her. Of course. She stared at Tiana for a moment. “This is what we have to do to get out of here.”

  Getting out was going to be easier than getting in. The guards had other things to worry about. People would be arriving to watch the sacrifice, and she’d bet they’d be scanning for her in that mob of hundreds.

  She and Tiana would be going down the outer wall. She knew the way. It was doable, except for one thing. She hefted the sword.

  “I’m going to have to cut off most of the bottom half of your dress.

  “What? You want me leaving in a fashion disaster?” Tiana looked horrified then touched Mila’s arm. “I’m joking. Hack away. I’d do anything to get away from that monster.”

  Her sister had changed. She took a handful of the pale cloth.

  * * * * *

  Luck was with her tonight. Nothing impeded them. Not even when the sword squealed wheee when she slid down the last part of the wall on her rear end after slipping.

  They ran and hiked and caught an air taxi to the spaceport, went through health scans, then waited for clearance in the boarding room for their ship. Their small amount of luggage was at their feet – her pink backpack and Smorg, her sword, swaddled in customs tape. It would have to go in the hold and that would not make it happy.

  No one else was in the room.

  It didn’t feel right, but they had nowhere else to go.

  Nothing had felt right for days.

  Mila rose and paced for a while before sitting again, beside Tiana, in one of the white, molded chairs. Music came on. Really boring music with a metronome beat. Tick, tick. Like the damn t
hing was taunting her. She started biting her nails until she noticed the black in her fingernails actually writhing. Now that was startling.

  Was it growing faster? Couldn’t be. She tucked her hands away, sent her thoughts elsewhere.

  “You know, at first I planned to get that wish off him in the Arena. Failed miserably.”

  “I saw. He had me watch him.”

  “Huh. Sorry.”

  “For that? For fighting all the way through to that? Never? I was proud of you. Really.”

  “Hmmm.” Best not to go on about the porn show then. She turned to Tiana. “Tell me how you got into this mess.”

  “Money,” she said wryly, dropping her head forward and looking at the floor. “As always. First of all I tried ripping off the lord here for a few trillion. He gave me a choice – volunteer or go to jail for, like, forever. I didn’t know all the details then, or that this sacrifice could be fatal. You know...” She shrugged. “Fuck a big guy, go home with a nice lump sum in your account.”

  “What? He was going to pay you afterward?”

  “Well, that was my doing. I added it to the contract. If I’m going to be a whore, I do it in style. I just didn’t know how big it could get. His member.” She pulled a disgusted face. “So that was when I smuggled the heat suppressant drug in, so he couldn’t, you know, make me want him. They have this disgusting fluid they secrete from their dicks. Basht. Makes women spread their legs and beg for it.”

  “Oh.” Her mouth stayed in that O for far too long, and she was sure she’d turned red.

  “Are you okay?” Tiana leaned forward in her seat.

  The doors opened and a brown loopzard scampered through, only to be caught by the tail and halted by...she raised her eyes and felt her heart give one godawful thump...Ledderik.

  Chapter 14

  Oh crap. Mila ran through possible reactions. Attack. Run. Scream?

  “Evening.” Ledderik nodded to Mila then sauntered in and sat opposite.

  Minus the hood he was still a man...cyborg, who filled her with foreboding. His hair had been shaven and a geometrical interlocking tattoo placed on his forehead and scalp. The edge was a zigzag, dark blue – as if a row of teeth sat upon his brow. The tattoo of a man who wanted to be a beast.

  “Thank you for letting me track the loopzard back to you. It found Zarblu in his cage then turned right around.” He did a circle gesture. “And came for you.”

  Alarms were sounding in her, head but panic was pointless.

  Apart from the loopzard, which he set loose to run about, he was armed with a long red pistol that hung from his left hand. She guessed he’d be ambidextrous with that and wasn’t going to challenge him. Not considering who’d brought up the rear.

  She glanced at the door. The loopzard began sucking on her boot and it seemed futile and pointless to toe it away.

  A small squad of armed Andurians arranged themselves either side of the entrance. She recognized Congan, and he winked at her, just as the door slid shut.

  “I’m impressed,” Ledderik said. “You’re not panicking. Well.” He jerked his head toward Tiana. “Only her.”

  It was true. Tiana looked stunned. She was frozen in place, her mouth open.

  Mila nudged her arm. “Don’t despair. We’ll get out of this.” She looked to Ledderik. “This is not Dispora ground. We’re in neutral space.”

  “Tsk.” Smiling, he shifted his feet then draped his gun-carrying hand over his knee. “Wrong. Certain crimes take precedence here and one of them is grand capital theft from my Lord Zarblu.”

  “I...I was exonerated from that,” Tiana squeaked out.

  “Yes. You were, dear Tiana, but not your sister. You are Zarblu’s property and she stole you and carried you here. Grand theft. The penalty is quite harsh. You know what he wants, don’t you, Mila?”

  Of course she fucking did. She exhaled though her teeth, regarding him from beneath her brow, wondering if she should try stabbing him after all.

  “Me. To be his sacrifice.”

  “Yes.” His smile was thin but she was thankful he didn’t leer.

  “Oh,” was all Tiana said.

  The lack of significant emotion annoyed Mila a little, however she should still explain things, assuage her sister’s conscience. Shouldn’t she?

  “Don’t fuss about this. Don’t worry yourself over me.” Hoping that maybe she would do that, after all.

  Tiana remained silent though her hand crept to Mila’s shoulder and she squeezed there gently.

  Something prompted her to add to her explanation. “I...have a disease that will kill me fairly soon. Incurable. Rare.” Well, the time frame was fuzzy but soon seemed close enough. “So even if something does happen to me, know that it was better me than you.”

  “What?” This time the concern was genuine. “I...I didn’t know. That’s terrible, Mila.”

  Eyebrows up, Ledderik observed them.

  “It’s okay. No one knew.”

  Tiana abruptly stood, pulled straight what was left of her dress. “I volunteer to go back instead.”

  “You can’t, girl. He wants her. You’ll return with us, but I don’t know what he will do with you.”

  “Tiana.” She tugged on her sister’s hand. “Sit.”

  “I... No! I insist.” Tiana snatched away her hand. “I do.”

  Crazy, as always. Mila massaged her brow. “You’re more concerned about me dying now you know I am dying from something different and not just being fucked to death?”

  “I’m just...” The frown on Tiana seemed a confused one. “I couldn’t. We are blood.”

  Ledderik barked out a laugh. “And I thought I was odd. First. He does not want you. Secondly, did you know, Mila, that this one told Zarblu you’d make a good substitute for her?”

  “I would never!” Tiana stared down at her. “I did not do that.”

  This couldn’t be real, could it?

  And yet, she knew her sister well enough to see the truth in the way her expression changed over the next few seconds, as if she struggled to show the correct face to match what she should be feeling.

  “Oh no. No. You didn’t?” Mila leaned an elbow on knee and angled her head to study her sister better. “You did. Fuck, that’s awful. That is the worst thing you’ve ever...”

  After another montage of expressions chased across her face, she grimaced. “Fine. I did. But I still volunteered once I knew you really were ill. And he has got this monstrous dick.” She glanced at the ceiling, her mouth twisting. “I love you, Mila, just...”

  “I know this one.” She stood. “I know. You love yourself more.”

  “A little? Maybe?” Her elegant dark eyebrows curved ever more elegantly, nearly meeting in the middle, and she shrugged. “Sorry. Forgive me.”

  What else could she do? “It’s...okay.” Mila smiled weakly.

  “You’re returning with me to the fortress,” Ledderik drawled. “Both of you.”

  Unable to resist, Mila’s gaze dropped to the sword hilt. All that tape would make drawing it hellish slow.

  This time Ledderik pointed the pistol directly at them...no, at Tiana.

  “I’m tasked with doing this by Zarblu, and I know he’d want me to warn you. Though I’d rather not. Here it is. I have an addiction to killing. To maiming also but...” He nodded to himself. “Killing is better. If I see any resistance, I will shoot your sister. In several places. Let her bleed out slowly.” His mouth twitched. “I don’t mind if you resist.”

  “Oh. My gods. Really? Fuck.” Tiana turned to her. “Mila, you –”

  “Wait. Wait. You volunteered me?” She couldn’t help needing to hear her answer this again. It was pretty devastating. Her sigh came out more tortured than she’d thought it would. She’d never thought Tiana would stoop this low.

  “I did, yes. But I also would, seriously, swap places with you, right now. You’re my indestructible sister. I never really imagined you could die. This is just wrong. So wrong. Are you sure about what’
s infecting you?”

  Mila sniffed. Her sister meant the wrong description to apply to her death from other means, not to anything Zarblu might do.

  “It’s real, yes. A totally weird interstellar parasite that’s been around thousands of years and I opened its tomb and that was that.” She opened her hands. “Oopsie.”

  “Mila, Mila, Mila, I always told you poking about on old planets and grave robbing was fraught with peril. However, I will pray to all the gods that you find a cure. Ummm, it’s not infectious to me?”

  She nearly giggled. Tiana’s addiction was self-preservation. “No, it’s not. And thanks. And I mean that too. Ledderik, you are letting her go eventually?”

  “As soon as Zarblu okays it.”

  So now all she had to contend with was, what? The speed with which this bastard could pull the trigger on his pistol versus her diving for a sword? It was a lose-lose situation.

  “Coming quietly?” the cyborg asked, finger stroking the trigger. “Please say no.”

  The tautness in the air was not due to a faulty acclimatizer. Her hands had bunched into fists and she slowly uncurled her fingers. “I guess I am, though I would like to kick you in the crotch at least once.”

  Tiana gasped.

  He oozed out a smile then paused as if expecting her to actually do it. Finally Ledderik sighed.

  “Go.” He pointed to the door with the barrel of the gun and waited for them to move away before he picked up Smorg. “By the way, I have a stainless steel crotch. Kicking me there would only hurt your foot.”

  Ahhh. He was that variety of cyborg – one with optional genitalia. Now she knew why he loved killing and maiming.

  Chapter 15

  This could end in death, hers, and a horde of little spidery things with claws seemed to be scratching at the insides of her stomach, ready to eat their way out. Even if she knew she was dying, she’d had hopes it would take a while.

  Dying was best done at home, in bed, while reading a good book. Or, if you wished action, while fighting a space battle and a mega-laser zaps you, converting you into a rapidly dispersing cloud of fried atoms. Dying happy or oblivious was good.