Chapter 4
Hiding can be beneficial until it's not.
We’d been underway for nearly a week now, and I’d spent almost all my time in the tunnels, my bunk, or with Seth.
I was avoiding Monqilcolnen as best as I could, but I would have to see him later today for remedial training.
Thankfully, Urgg and Seth would be there.
Afterward we were going to get a drink, as long as Seth didn’t need to return to his child.
The tunnels were blissfully empty right now, which I was deeply enjoying.
While I wasn’t antisocial by any means, I truly did enjoy the silence and having space to myself.
Perhaps that was why I enjoyed the tunnels as much as I did.
As large as this ship was, it was difficult to find space for myself.
The berth, where my bunk was, always had people around, and when I was out and about, there was always someone passing by or calling out greetings.
So I was going to relish the peace and quiet of the tunnels before I had to train with Monqilcolnen.
A scuffle broke the silence, and I paused, looking over my shoulder, but I didn’t see anything in the dim light.
Something scraped along the wall down the tunnel from me, and my soul picked up speed, which was ridiculous.
While the Admiral Ven wasn’t completely free of crime, access to the tunnels was restricted to personnel.
No one who wasn’t in the Planetary Navy or a civilian contractor could enter.
Besides, the ship was no longer haunted. I smiled at the thought of Caleb. He’d used to be a ghost who haunted the Admiral Ven, and I’d chased him as a phase variance I couldn’t fix. Now, he was mated to Prince Zoltilvoxfyn and was in a drakcol body.
A slap followed by a snarl sounded, making my head cock.
I looked around, trying to ascertain which direction the noise came from.
An intersection was behind me, and a shaft lay in front of me.
Another loud growl plus the sharp screech of claws on metal broke the silence.
In front of me, I thought. I crawled down the tunnel as fast as I could.
When I reached the end of the tunnel, I peered down the vertical shaft that allowed people to traverse the different decks of the ship.
A drakcol with dark gray scales and space-black hair was caught half in the shaft and half in a tunnel.
It seemed their wings had popped, and now the talon midway down the appendage was caught on a rung.
Their feet kicked and scraped on the tunnel below them, but it appeared as if they couldn’t get enough leverage to unhook their talon.
“Do you need assistance?” I asked.
They looked up, and silver eyes met mine. That was a rare color, not to mention lovely, though their thin lips and harsh features made them otherwise ordinary in appearance. Their stern expression was eerily familiar, but I couldn’t place where I’d seen it before.
“Yes,” they said shortly.
I swung over the edge and shifted down. When I got close, I crawled into another tunnel, turned around, then hung over the edge so I could reach where the wing was trapped.
Hands above the dark gray wing, I asked, “Do I have your permission to touch you?”
Drakcol tried not to touch each other without permission, unless it was life threatening, which this situation hardly was.
Also, wings and tails were highly personal.
Better to ask for permission than regret it.
Our history had too much stealing, taking, and forcing when we were warring clans.
To gain trust and overcome our instincts to snatch whatever we desired when we became unified, we started to ask. Permissions became the standard.
“Yes.”
I grasped the thick bone on the top of the wing and tried to maneuver the appendage to unhook the sharp talon without hurting either of us.
They grunted, face scrunching in obvious pain, and I instantly stopped.
Frowning, I stared at the situation. It was unlikely I would be able to free them without pain or possibly even damaging their wing, which was something I couldn’t risk.
I would have to take more drastic measures.
Warmth along with a pull started in my gut as I thought about the laser in the pouch I wore.
My inner fire latched onto it, and the laser floated smoothly toward me.
I grabbed it out of the air. While my inner fire wasn’t particularly strong, it could be helpful at random times.
If I was stronger, though, I could’ve lifted this drakcol and maneuvered them however I liked to free them. Alas, it wasn’t within my skill set.
“I’m going to cut the rung.” I would repair it, after I filed an incident report, followed by a repair ticket, and received clearance to do so. Regulations were important.
“Fine.”
Flicking the burning hot laser on, I warned, “Do not move. I don’t want to harm you.”
They grunted again. Not much of a talker.
As I began to slowly cut the metal, I asked, “Do you mind telling me how you got trapped like this…”
“Seeker Noxlyn. I’m studying humans.”
“Ah, yes. I believe I’ve seen you sit in on some of Seth’s talks with Edith.”
“Indeed.”
Edith showed more independent thought and expressed more personality when she was with Seth, which made sense—they were best friends.
Seekers from many different walks of study wished to observe Edith as well as her dynamic with Seth, so the two of them would talk about whatever they wanted to in front of a room of seekers who took notes and also inspected Edith’s coding.
“Pronouns?” I much preferred the human way of asking or giving pronouns right away, which Seth had introduced me to. It saved confusion and respected everyone’s identity. Such practice was growing in popularity among drakcol.
“He/him. Rank?”
“Lieutenant. My name is Wyn. I also use he/him pronouns.”
“Thank you for your assistance, Lieutenant Wyn.”
“It’s no inconvenience, but how again did you do this?” He groaned when the laser got closer to his wing. I wasn’t burning him, but it was hot and probably more than a little nerve-wracking. One wrong move and I might damage his wings, which were highly valued in Drakcon culture.
“I have been conscripted to help while on board, and I must confess, this is my first space voyage. I slipped, and instinct made me open my wings, which was the worst possible decision.”
“It happens.” That particular instinct was hard to overcome, but in the academy, we had training to help. I didn’t have that particular problem, though, as one of my wings was harnessed to my back, and the other couldn’t open without the lashed one.
“That doesn’t make me feel better,” he muttered.
The metal snapped, and his wing jerked automatically, lunging forward as he attempted to find purchase. His wing arced, the black talon glinting in the air, and I tried to jerk back, but before I could, it sliced through my palm. Green blood immediately spurted out.
I felt nothing at first as blood pooled in my palm and dripped down, landing on the metal of the tunnel floor.
Shock, probably, but it only lasted a moment before a deep throbbing ache made me swallow a whimper and blink back tears.
I fisted my hand against the pain and to slow the spilling blood.
Thank the Crystal, I was able to close my hand.
Hopefully, it meant nothing too delicate, like my tendons, were destroyed.
But my vision wavered at the sight of blood, and my stomach rose up my throat, threatening to send my breakfast tumbling.
Noxlyn’s wings vanished inside his shirt, and he gripped a lower rung, his feet firmly on the tunnel below. His eyes landed on the blood leaking between my fingers. “My apologies. I didn’t intend to harm you.”
“It’s fine.”
“It’s not,” he said, his eyes wide. “Allow me to help you to the medbay.”
My first instinct was to say no, but in the end, I agreed because already there was a whooshing noise like air rushing past me in my ears, and my thoughts raced while at the same time felt stagnant, as if trapped in mud.
I didn’t believe I would lose consciousness, but if I did, it was much better to have someone beside me.
I shuffled carefully down the tunnel, my hand clenched and tucked protectively against my chest, until I reached the hatch. I slipped out, and Noxlyn was right behind me.
“Do you need assistance walking?” he asked, extending an arm.
“No.”
He led the way to the lift before pressing the button to the correct deck.
I followed, swallowing my surging bile and the way the world swayed with each step.
The fuzzy noise was growing louder and louder in my ears with every passing moment.
Noxlyn remained beside me as we walked, his arm remaining out like he intended to catch me if I fell.
It was quite kind of him, but I wouldn’t fall; I refused to.
I didn’t need fainting added to an endearment.
I couldn’t even imagine. Lieutenant Faint.
Lieutenant Swoon. I shook my head. Any form of it would be unacceptable.
When we stepped into the medbay, Noxlyn immediately went to the small office on the side and walked inside without preamble.
The open, arched doorway was framed by two windows.
I couldn’t see much from my current angle, though if my memory held true, there wasn’t much besides a desk, monitors, and shelves with medical plants.
It was Doctor Qinlin’s office. Physician Klars, the Amorian healer who’d been hand-chosen by the emperor to care for Seth and Bartholomew as well as the other humans on board, didn’t have an office in the medbay, since Qinlin had refused to share.
The rest of the medbay was dominated by the color gray. It was the one of the few rooms free of the moss floor and the creeping vines on the ceilings. Three beds with monitors above them were to the right of the door and a single bed was across from me.