Chapter 12
Mila
The rusty bell above the shop door chimed as Mila stepped inside. Brivul ducked his massive frame through the doorway behind her. The early morning sun filtered in through the windows. Stale air and musty shelves filled her nostrils. The suspicious glare of the shopkeeper followed them as they headed toward the back of the shop.
“Water first.” Mila grabbed a few bottles from a dusty shelf. Her muscles ached from yesterday’s beating, but she refused to show weakness. “And protein bars.”
Her fingers brushed against a small medkit, and she added it to their pile. The bruises on her ribs screamed at the movement.
The shopkeeper’s tongue flicked out, tasting the air. Mila kept her head down, but her skin crawled. One word to Kurg’s people and they’d be done for.
“That’ll be fifty credits.” The shopkeeper’s voice rasped.
Brivul placed the credits on the counter. His massive form blocked most of Mila’s view, but she caught the shopkeeper’s eyes lingering on her.
“Let’s go.” She tugged at Brivul’s arm, eager to leave the shop’s oppressive atmosphere.
Outside, the air tasted of metal and decay. “This way.” She led them down a narrow alley where pipes leaked steam from overhead vents. “I know of a maintenance tunnel entrance two blocks down.”
Mila’s boots splashed through shallow puddles as they made their way through the dimly lit maintenance tunnels. The occasional flicker of ancient light panels cast dancing shadows on the curved metal walls.
“My mother used to sing to me and Priscilla,” Mila blurted out. Strange how comfortable she felt sharing with him now.
“What kind of songs?”
“Old Earth lullabies. She learned them from her mother.” The damp air carried the scent of rust and mildew. “What about your family?”
“Just me and my father. My father trained soldiers.”
“Is that why you became a security guard?”
He paused. “Something like that.”
Their footsteps echoed off the walls in a rhythmic pattern that reminded her of her mother’s songs. The ache in her chest had nothing to do with her bruises.
“What’s your favorite food?” Brivul’s question pulled her from darker thoughts.
“Fresh fruit. Real fruit, not the synthetic stuff Kurg fed us.” She stepped over a broken pipe. “I had a real apple once. A trader snuck it to me.”
“Just wait until you try Niri oranges.”
The way he said it, like her freedom was certain, made her heart skip. “You have oranges on Nirum?”
“Whole orchards. The trees reach higher than this tunnel.”
A rat scurried across their path, but Mila barely flinched. She’d seen worse in Kurg’s kitchens.
“What about you? Favorite food?”
“My mother’s spice bread.” His voice softened. “She passed when I was young, but I still remember the smell.”
The conversation flowed easier now, filling the oppressive tunnel with something warmer than shadows. Strange how she’d known him barely two days, yet talking with him felt as natural as breathing.
“Look.” She pointed ahead where the tunnel split into three paths. “We take the right fork here. My friend’s place is about six hours ahead.”
“Tell me about this friend?”
“Her name’s Ellri. She escaped Kurg years ago.” Mila touched the wall for balance as they turned the corner. “She owns a hotel now. Helps others like me when she can.”
The maintenance tunnel’s dim lighting cast long shadows across Brivul’s scales as he walked beside her. Mila caught herself studying the way they shifted, gleaming even in this murky light.
“Your sister—what’s she like?”
The question caught her off guard. Most people didn’t care enough to ask. “Priscilla’s gentle. Too gentle for a place like this. She cries when the kitchen rats get caught in traps.”
“We’ll get her out.”
The certainty in his voice made her chest tight. Hope was dangerous. She’d learned that lesson young. Yet something in the way he said it made her want to believe.
“What will you do?” His voice echoed softly. “Once your sister’s safe?”
“I’ve never let myself think that far ahead.” The admission tasted bitter. “Dreams are dangerous things to have when you’re property.”
“You’re not property anymore.”
Her heart stuttered at the fierce protectiveness in his tone. She snuck another glance at him, wondering how someone so powerful could be so gentle. The scar on his jaw caught the light, a reminder that he too had fought his own battles.
“Three more hours.” She pointed ahead where the tunnel curved. “There’s a rest stop with clean water soon.”
His tail brushed against her as they walked, and she didn’t pull away. For the first time in her life, she felt safe walking beside someone stronger than her. The feeling terrified her almost as much as it thrilled her.
The rest stop emerged from the gloom—a small alcove carved into the tunnel wall. Clean water trickled from a filtered pipe into a shallow basin. Mila’s parched throat ached at the sight.
“We should rest here.” She slid down against the cool metal wall, her bruises protesting the movement.
Brivul settled beside her, his tail curling protectively around their supplies. The protein bars crinkled as he passed one to her.
“The seal’s intact.” He’d checked the wrapper carefully.
The processed food tasted like cardboard, but Mila’s empty stomach didn’t care. She watched Brivul take measured bites of his own bar, his movements precise and controlled.
The data chip pressed against her thigh through her pocket. Its weight seemed to grow heavier with each passing moment. Here was someone who could actually help her expose Kurg’s corruption, someone with connections to legitimate authorities.
“Something on your mind?”
Mila startled at his question. “Just thinking about Priscilla.”
The lie tasted bitter, but trust was a luxury she couldn’t afford yet, no matter how safe she felt in his presence. One wrong move and everything would collapse.
“Here.” He offered her the water bottle. Their fingers brushed as she took it.
The filtered water tasted sweeter than anything Kurg had ever provided. Mila closed her eyes, savoring each sip. When she opened them again, she caught Brivul watching her with an unreadable expression.
Her hand drifted to her pocket again. The evidence could free them all—or doom them if handled wrong. Not yet, she decided. She needed to be sure. Needed to know his true motivations for helping her.
“We should get moving.” She pushed herself up, ignoring the protest of her muscles. “Ellri’s place isn’t far now.”
Stale air gave way to the smell of rain as Mila and Brivul emerged from the maintenance tunnels. The neon signs of the lower district painted blue and yellow streaks across puddles dotting the cracked pavement.
“Ellri’s is just around that corner.” Mila pointed to a street lined with defunct shops.
A flash of movement caught her eye. Three of Kurg’s guards stood at the intersection, scanning the area.
“Back.” Mila pressed against the wall, her heart hammering.
Brivul moved beside her, his bulk shielding her from view. “How many alternate routes?”
“Two, but they’ll be watching those, too.” Mila’s mind raced through possibilities. Her gaze landed on a pile of discarded crates. “The delivery entrance. If we time it right…”
“Lead the way.”
They crept between shadows, Mila’s steps silent from years of practice. Brivul matched her movements perfectly somehow.
A guard’s head turned their direction. Mila froze. Brivul’s tail curled protectively around her waist, steadying her as they pressed into an alcove.
“Now.” Mila darted forward when the guard looked away, Brivul right behind her.
They reached the crates. Mila’s bruised ribs protested as she squeezed through a narrow gap. The guards’ voices carried on the damp air.
“Delivery’s late again.”
“Check the back entrance.”
Brivul touched her shoulder, pointing to a stack of empty bottles. Mila nodded, understanding his plan. He knocked them over with his tail, the crash echoing through the alley.
The guards rushed toward the noise while Mila and Brivul slipped behind them, their footsteps masked by the commotion. Her pulse raced at their coordinated movements, the way they anticipated each other’s actions without words.
They reached Ellri’s back door just as shouts erupted behind them. Mila punched in the code with trembling fingers, impressed by how Brivul positioned himself to block any line of sight to her.
The door clicked open. They ducked inside as heavy footsteps approached, the guards rushing past their hiding spot.
“That was…” Mila caught her breath, studying Brivul’s face in the dim light. His eyes held a fierce pride that made her chest tight.
“Impressive.” He finished her thought. “The way you moved through those shadows.”
Heat crept up her neck at his praise. She’d never had anyone look at her with such open admiration before.