The Xarren Escape (Plundering the Stars Book 2) Page 3

The walls and ceiling were cracked in spots, with the painted areas peeling away. Mylock webs littered the corners of the room and small dust particles could be seen floating in the light. Wherever I was, it did not see regular upkeep. I couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or very, very bad.

  After several long moments, I decided I was ready to attempt to move. First, my neck. I craned it so that I could sit up and see more of my surroundings. And that immediately made my head swim. I pinched my eyes shut and groaned loudly.

  A gasp followed. Footsteps approached until they were right at my side. “Don’t move too much,” a soft voice said, a young woman’s voice. “Your injuries aren’t life-threatening anymore, but you are still healing. Take it slow.”

  I swallowed hard, which was a pain because my throat was scratchy, and attempted to open my eyes again. As she said, I took it slow. I didn’t move at all, just carefully opened my eyes so they could adjust to the light. And they did so, though my head still throbbed.

  I found myself staring back at an Elarri girl, perhaps a few years younger than myself. She had large brown eyes that glowed gold in the light and went well with her smooth olive skin—skin that lacked the usual white scar designs that many Elarri liked. I didn’t know the cultural significance of that. Her large lips curled into a smile as she took me in.

  “I’m glad you’re awake,” she said with a slight voice. I found that Elarri were almost always either boisterous or soft-spoken with no in between, so she seemed to be on the quieter end.

  “So am I,” I responded, my voice hoarse and weak. Her smile faded.

  “Hold on, let me get you some water.” She disappeared for a moment before she returned with a clay mug. She knelt beside me and placed a hand beneath my head so she could prop my head up. I winced, though I tried to keep my discomfort to myself. The girl lifted the cup to my lips. “Here, this will help.”

  My lips felt chapped and my throat was raw and sore, so the water was much appreciated. I parted my lips; she tipped the cup and the water flowed down my throat.

  It was, in a word, miraculous.

  Each sip brought relief. Each sip was a soothing caress over my damaged throat and lips. Each sip brought me life. After the first few slow sips, I grabbed hold of the cup from my rescuer and gulped down the rest, water spilling down my chin and onto my chest. It soaked the blanket covering me, which was when I realized I was wearing nothing more than my undergarments.

  The girl smiled at me. “It seems to be doing the trick.”

  I nodded. Once I finished, I lowered the mug and let out an obnoxious sigh of contentment.

  “Thank you,” I managed in a gasp. My voice was still hoarse, but my throat was no longer scratchy and painful, so that was a plus.

  “You’re very welcome.” She sat back and observed me. Her gaze traveled the length of me, and I was glad to have the blanket because her eyes were suddenly intense. I felt my cheeks flush, though I shouldn’t have been embarrassed. I wasn’t a modest woman, I literally seduced people to steal from them. Still, there was something about the scrutiny of her gaze…

  Finally, the intensity melted away as she softened and extended her hand for me to take. “I’m Rayvan.”

  “Jinx,” I replied as I took her hand in mine. As with the rest of her people, she dwarfed me in size, her arms long and lean and her hands large and wide, callused like tree bark. She was someone used to physical work. But then, her hands were nothing next to mine, scarred a dozen times over with calluses I’d have for the rest of my life. The hands of a slave. Some things, like the scars around my neck, would never leave me.

  An understanding passed between us, I felt. We didn’t know each other in the slightest, but it was obvious we’d both dealt with hardships. Mine were more obvious, but the calluses on her hands and the meager conditions she lived in told me she wasn’t someone who came from a privileged life.

  We dropped our hands. Rayvan sat back on her heels, her hands in her lap. “How are you feeling?” she asked.

  “Not great, Rayvan,” I replied. Which was the truth. I wasn’t in excruciating pain, but every slight movement was a chore and made me highly uncomfortable. But at least I was awake now and could actually stand to keep my eyes open and my head up.

  “No, I wouldn’t imagine so. You were on death’s door when I found you.”

  I started to sit up, but it was a struggle. I winced and moaned. Rayvan immediately put her arms around me to assist.

  “How did— How did I get here?” I asked as she helped me into a sitting position. That caused a surge of pain from my stomach. I yelped.

  “Easy, easy,” Rayvan said, her voice soothing. Her hand was warm against my back as she helped me up. She moved a box over to me and propped up a pillow, so I had something to lean against. Once that was done, she sat back on her rear, her hands out behind her.

  “So,” she began. “The night before last, I awoke to screams and cries and pleas for help. Now, there aren’t many that live out here, and we don’t often ask for help, and not at that late of night, so I was skeptical. I grabbed a blaster and brought my friend Beleak as backup— Oh, you’ll meet him in a bit. We went outside and found you. I knew immediately that this wasn’t any sort of scheme.”

  I averted my gaze and looked at my stomach, pushing back the blanket. My stomach was covered in ratty old bandages, the type of stuff that only the poorest people would use. Even us slaves had decent medical attention because we were so valuable.

  “What—” I began.

  “You had a blaster hole in your stomach. A nasty one at that. The fact that you’re still alive is nothing short of a miracle.”

  That was when it all hit me. Again.

  The heist and Rowan and my injury and Yan being captured or dead and me waking up in the mountain of bodies. It all rushed back to me in too much painful clarity. So no, it had not been a dream. I wished so desperately that it had been, but it wasn’t.

  I gasped for air as my chest suddenly constricted. It felt like my heart weighed a ton and was dropping into an endless chasm. No, no, no. This couldn’t all be true. I remember having a panic attack when I woke up initially amongst the corpses and realized that this was all real. I hated them, and it happened far too often.

  Though, to be fair, I had a good excuse.

  Rayvan was not ready for this, though. Her eyes went wide as she backed away from me out of instinct. “What’s wrong? What’s happening, Jinx?”

  Of course, as I was having an episode, I couldn’t answer her. Some things never went away, and the trauma of my childhood was one of them. Any sort of panic or disheartening news usually sent me into a spiral.

  Rayvan gripped my shoulders and forced me to look at her. “Look at me. It’ll be alright. Deep breaths, Jinx, deep breaths.” I did as she said. It helped a little. This little episode, though, made all my pain flare up again. Sweat trickled down my face. “Good,” she said. “Keep breathing. Hold tight. I’m gonna get you more water.”

  She hopped up and ran across the room to a makeshift little metal sink and poured some water. I really hoped that was attached to some sort of filtration system. Doubtful, given her conditions. I was spoiled from the Sanara always having clean water. I couldn’t exactly turn her away, though. And the water had tasted good just a minute ago.

  Rayvan returned to my side and made me chug the water. I did so. Finally, after soothing words from her and deep breaths and water, I calmed down, though my heart still hammered against my chest.

  She sat back and sighed. “Well, that was something.”

  I leaned my head against the pillow and nodded, my cheeks warm. “Yeah.”

  “Wanna talk about why I found you near dead and why you muttered and screamed in your sleep?”

  That made my cheeks flush even harder. “It’s been a trying couple of days.”

  “Oh, I’m sure.”

  I sighed. “Okay. Here’s what happened…”

  And I told her everything, or at least the major
details—the heist and why we were doing it and what went wrong. Obviously, it would have been too much to go into the personal vendetta that Yan had against Xarren Elexae or my reasonings for doing it or those of the rest of the crew. I told her about Rowan and his betrayal, of which I did give her a bit more context. Finally, I came to my waking in the corpse pile and what ensued, my near-death journey to her doorstep.

  Now she was caught up.

  She sat back, her legs crossed, her hands cupping her toes. She whistled. “That’s some tragic tale.”

  “Trust me, if I gave you more backstory, it would be even more tragic.”

  Her eyes flitted to the scars around my neck. “Meaning…” She pointed at them.

  I smirked, doing my best to not be offended. She meant well. “No, my time in chains was from childhood. Nothing to do with the Elexaes.”

  Rayvan nodded, though she kept her gaze down. “Sorry.”

  “Don’t be. It’s natural for you to be curious.”

  She didn’t look convinced, but she moved past it. “So you went up against the Elexaes and lost, eh? I have to say, you’re not unique in that regard.”

  I frowned, my brows furrowing. “What do you mean?”

  “My parents both had gambling debts to them. Five years ago, Elexae enforcers came for them. They fought them, but they were taken. I escaped and have been living out here ever since.”

  “Oh, I’m… I’m sorry.”

  She shook her head. “It’s okay. But trust me, many people around here know the wrath of the Elexaes.”

  “They’ve hurt a lot of people.”

  We settled into silence as our somber thoughts descended over us. I stared at Rayvan and she back at me and we smiled. I didn’t know this girl, and she didn’t know me. Saying I trusted her may have been an overstatement—after all, I didn’t really know her, despite her saving my life—but there was just something about her that put me at ease. She didn’t seem to be a threat. I knew all too well that danger could be right behind even the brightest of smiles, but Rayvan didn’t exude that vibe. So either she was incredibly skilled at hiding her true intentions, in which case I was in danger and an idiot, or she was legitimately good.

  Materelle, please let her be a friend.

  I jumped as a series of knocks came from the door and disrupted the silence. At the sound, Rayvan flinched too, but then immediately relaxed as recognition lit up her face. Another knock, and the door swung open. In walked a tall, slender bird.

  I assumed this was Beleak.

  He was a Javray. Impossibly tall, his head nearly touching the ceiling, he was covered head to toe in orange and green feathers, topped by a headdress-like plume of white feathers that protruded from the crown of his skull like all the males of his species had. His beak and talons were black and shone in the firelight. His eyes were a piercing yellow, the narrow slits zoning in on me like I was prey. Javray were deadly hunters and fighters and were often feared throughout the galaxy. But I knew better. They were also incredibly loyal and gentle to those they regarded as friends.

  He placed his hands over the base of his neck and bowed. “It pleases me to see that you are okay, amshen.” His accent was thick, and the deepness of his voice didn’t help, but he spoke slow as most of his kind did, so that helped.

  I nodded. “I appreciate what you two did for me.”

  Beleak stood next to Rayvan, who stood as well. Even though I bet she had at least half a head on me, he towered over her. Though like Pivek and his people, Javrays towered over most.

  He crossed his arms and looked to Rayvan. “Sele she kas. Ukbel eve’e soo shel? A hesea abel amshen?”

  Rayvan shrugged. “She kas gengen. Eshe soo fele fe shel.”

  He nodded.

  I blinked. “Care to fill me in?”

  “Don’t worry your pretty little head,” Rayvan said with a smile. I didn’t like that. It made it seem like they were plotting something. They had saved my life, so I wanted to trust them, but trust wasn’t something I had a surplus of right now.

  Rayvan gestured between me and her friend. “Jinx, this is my friend Beleak. Beleak, meet Jinx.”

  I raised a hand to wave. “Hi.”

  He bowed again. “A pleasure, amshen.”

  I narrowed my gaze. “Amshen?”

  “It means ‘gemstone’,” Rayvan said. “I assume he’s referring to your hair. He’s never met a Torgoran with your color hair. He thinks it’s beautiful.”

  “I— Well… Thank you, Beleak.”

  He closed his eyes and inclined his head, his feathers bristling around his cheeks. A blush maybe? Or was that their smile? I didn’t have enough interaction with Javray to know their mannerisms. But he seemed nice enough.

  Beleak leaned against the wall near the fireplace and watched us, his piercing yellow eyes bright. Rayvan sat back by my side.

  “So, what will you do now?” she asked me.

  I sucked in a breath. “I don’t know. I… I need to find my friends. Make sure they’re okay.” The thought of Yan being gone felt like a gravity well in my heart pulling me down, down, down. “I should go to the rendezvous point we set up. Amara might… She might still be waiting.”

  I tried to push myself up from my meager bedding, but pain shot through me and dropped me in an instant. Rayvan jumped into action.

  “Oh no, I don’t think so. You can’t even stand, much less make it to who knows where to find your friends.”

  “I need to find them…”

  “I know, sweet thing, but you’re in no condition. And if what you told me is true, that one of your friends betrayed you to the Elexaes, then they could be there waiting for any stragglers. We need to proceed with caution.”

  My brows arched. “We?”

  She smiled. “Xarren Elexae has hurt too many of us. If I can help save someone, I will.”

  “You are a bit too eager, Ray,” Beleak said behind her.

  Rayvan rolled her eyes. “Hush, bird.”

  I smiled. That reminded me so much of Amara and Yan. Which just made my chest hurt. Of course, she was right. I couldn’t move. There was no way for me to find my friends yet. I didn’t know if I could trust my makeshift nurses, but I didn’t exactly have a choice in the matter.

  “Okay,” I said. “I guess I have no choice.”

  “I know it isn’t ideal, but we’ll figure it out.” She stood and put her hands on her hips. “Now, get comfortable. It’s almost dawn. I’ll cook up some breakfast, though I can’t promise it will be too enticing.”

  “Thank you.”

  She grinned. “You’re welcome.”

  And so, it seemed like I may have made some new acquaintances. Only time would tell if they were friend or foe. In the meantime, I had to get healthy. Otherwise, I would never see any of my friends again.

  Wait for me, Yan.

  4

  Chapter 4 (YAN)

  This time when I came to back into life and not death, I couldn’t move at all.

  Thick metal bands were wrapped around my neck and my waist, bolting me to the cell wall. My hands were chained together in front of me, wrist to wrist, so no movement there, and same with my legs. I had no range of motion. But at least I was sitting. Still, this really put a damper on my plans to get out of this nonstop torture.

  Game on, Xarren. Game on.

  “Well, look who’s awake,” said a voice.

  I jolted, though of course my body could barely move. I realized I was in a different cell from my last. This one was old stone and there was water leaking from the ceiling, right in the middle of the room, an irritating drip, drip, drip. The door to the cell was an old-fashioned iron-barred one so I could see partially into the hallway. There were torches in the hall that washed the cell in a golden glow.

  And the voice I’d heard came from the shadows where the light didn’t shine. All I could see was a pair of dirty bare feet.

  “Who’s there?” I asked.

  From the shadows, chains rattled as my new cellm
ate shimmied into the light. When they emerged, I sucked in a breath and arched an eyebrow.

  They were a Torgoran man, and he was as beautiful a man as I could describe. Perfect jawline with the best amount of blonde stumble. A statuesque nose, sharp cheekbones, eyes like sapphires, though the bags beneath them were a blemish. He had long, dark red hair. Rare like Jinx’s near blood-red locks. The strands were tangled and messy and greasy from lack of washing, but it was definitely like Jinx’s. Most Torgorans had reddish hair, though the average was more auburn or brown.

  And his body… He was absolutely sculpted. Scars lined his body, old and gruesome, the likes of which must have been tremendously painful. I wondered what they were until I saw the burn scar around his neck. The mark of a collar. A former slave, just like Jinx.

  Whip marks. Those were whip marks all along his body.

  He caught me staring and frowned. I averted my eyes, though since my head was bolted to the wall, it was hard to look at anything else.

  “Sorry,” I said. “I-I didn’t mean to stare.”

  He rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t hide his smirk. “It’s fine.”

  “In the spirit of friendship and forgiveness, might I just say that you are absolutely gorgeous. Hope that isn’t too forward of me, but I’m still a bit delirious from my many beatings.”

  The Torgoran laughed, and I found the sound heartwarming. Laughter shouldn’t have been something to hear down in these dungeons. Yet, here we were. With smiles on our faces like a couple of idiots.

  “Thank you, though trust me, my looks have caused me more pain than I’d care to endure.”

  “Trust me, if I had your looks, I’d have lived a very happy life.”

  He snorted. “Please, I don’t doubt for a second that you weren’t a hit with women.”

  I couldn’t help my belching laugh as it bubbled forth. “Ha! Look who’s flirting now.”

  We smirked at one another. The Torgoran shook his head to get some of his hair out of his eyes. “I’m Jax. I’d shake your hand, but that’s thoroughly impossible, I’m afraid.”

  “Shake your hand, hell, I’d give you a kiss, but I can’t even move my neck.” We both laughed. “I’m Yan.”