Chapter 29 Jean
I sit and watch as Venim strides away in the direction of the other members of the gang.
One of them is wearing Ghorak’s night-vision goggles on his head.
Another is playing with the telescope. And of course, there’s the guy with the rifle.
The rest of the aliens seem surprisingly nonchalant about the fact that one of their buddies just got vaporized. In fact, they seem to think it’s funny.
Jesus. Who the hell are these guys?
Alien criminals, that’s who. The worst in the galaxy. It suddenly occurs to me just how lucky I’ve been with the first two men I met on this planet.
Now my luck appears to have run out.
“I’m… sorry…”
The words are a groan, deep and sad. Ghorak. I turn to face the horned giant where he lies curled and chained on the hard ground. Instinctively, I place a reassuring hand against his shoulder, and a part of me marvels at how tiny my fingers look in comparison to that massive green frame.
“Hush,” I tell him. “You have nothing to be sorry about.”
“I got caught,” he groans.
“That’s my fault, not yours. If it weren’t for me, these guys probably wouldn’t have given you any trouble.”
It suddenly occurs to me that I should avoid showing Ghorak any affection in front of the other convicts. As far as the bad guys know, he’s just a traveling weed merchant who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Maybe if we can convince them of that idea, they’ll let him go.
Then I remember I said his name in front of Venim.
Shit. I’m an idiot.
“What happened?” Scythro asks.
Ghorak shakes his head sadly, thumping one of his horns against the ground in the process.
“They clocked me straight away,” he says. “Came zooming in with their thrumwings.” He smiles weakly. “Managed to waste one of ’em with my rifle, at least.”
Damn, I think. Now they’re definitely not going to let him go.
“What about the longstrider?” Scythro asks.
“Gone,” Ghorak says sadly. “They robbed all the weed and ore from the packs, along with everything else of value. Then they turned the longstrider loose and sent it wandering out into the wastes, saddle and all. It’s probably several draths away by now.”
Scythro nods, then sits back, leaning his body against Ghorak’s. It is an oddly affectionate gesture between two aliens who have only known each other for a day.
Then again, is it really that odd? I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel some affection for them as well. More than I ought to feel after only one night of almost-sex.
For a minute, nobody says anything. Then Scythro runs his fingers through his long hair and sighs.
“Jean,” he says. “What that guy said down there in the mine, about me being a whore…”
I try to interrupt, but he doesn’t let me.
“It’s true,” he says. “I sell my body.”
“I don’t care,” I tell him, and I mean it.
“Still, I should have told you.”
“I don’t care, Scythro. Really.” I pause for a beat before asking, “Is that why you were sent here to Ul? For being a sex worker?”
He thinks about that for a moment.
“Yes. No. It’s… complicated.”
There is a look of deep pain behind his eyes as he says it. I decide not to press him. It’s none of my business anyway.
Instead, I offer an admission of my own.
“Well… I’m a concubine.”
It’s a relief finally getting that out. A bit like ripping a band-aid off.
“A concubine?” Scythro asks.
I nod. “My planet is called Earth. It was recently conquered by the Znthians. They took a bunch of women to be concubines, and I was one of them. We were put on a Scarlet Ship to be sent back to the Emperor, but something went wrong. We came out of the hypercosm too soon and crashed here on Ul. I’m sure that’s why these assholes were out here looking for us. ”
“Damn,” Ghorak grunts beside me. “So that Scarlet Ship was real after all.”
Scythro gives him a puzzled look.
“Excuse me?”
Ghorak shrugs to the extent the chains will let him, which is not much.
“Saw a Scarlet Ship falling out of the sky, day before last. Figured I was just seeing things again. Weed’ll do that to you when—”
“When you smoke too much of it,” Scythro finishes for him. He tilts his head back and laughs quietly. “A concubine, a weed-monger, and a whore. We sound like the setup to a very bad joke. But maybe there’s still time to change the punchline.”
He glances around furtively, then rises into a crouch and begins jerking his head back, tugging on the chain that’s connecting him to Ghorak’s body. Without the use of his hands, it isn’t very effective. The horned giant barely budges.
“Damn it, Ghorak,” Scythro says. “Why do you have to be so bloody big?”
“Sorry.”
“It’s not your fault.” He attempts one more tug, then gives up and examines the rusty chain instead. “This thing’s seen better days. If we could just find something to break it…”
He fixes me with a blue stare.
“Me?” I gasp.
“You’re the only one who can move around.”
I lower my voice, even though there’s nobody around to hear.
“You heard what Venim said. If he catches me wandering around, he’s going to take it out on you.”
Scythro scoffs.
“Pain I can handle. Comes with the territory.” His face grows serious again. “This may well be our last chance to escape.”
He has a point. Once these guys take us back to Mount Bogus, we’ll be royally screwed.
I raise myself up on my knees and peer over Ghorak’s big body.
Venim is still over there talking to the other gang members.
They appear to be discussing Ghorak’s gun.
Another small group is sitting nearby, sharing a stalk of dreamweed they no doubt pilfered from Ghorak’s stash.
A few more are laying out bug parts for the thrumwings to eat.
The guy Venim sent away a few minutes ago is still searching through the packs for something to tie me up with.
It’s now or never.
But where am I going to go?
“The mine,” Scythro whispers, as if reading my thoughts. “I noticed some old tools lying around in there. Pickaxes and such.”
I turn my gaze toward that big, black portal gaping from the side of the hill, and a shiver runs down my spine.
“The mine? You want me to go back in there?”
“You won’t have to go far, Jean. Just a little ways inside.”
I take one more quick glance around. The bad guys are all still occupied with their various tasks, but that could change in the blink of an eye. And with my white bodysuit, I’ll be super visible against the dark backdrop of the hill.
But the mine entrance isn’t too far. Twenty yards. Thirty at the most. If I run for it…
I run for it.
It probably only lasts a few seconds, but it feels like a freaking eternity. My legs are still weak after fleeing from those bugs, and it feels like I’m moving through mud instead of air.
Somehow, I manage to reach the entrance without anyone seeing. I quickly duck inside and press my back against the wall. My heart is pumping like a boxer wailing on a speed bag.
I made it!
I can’t believe I freaking made it…
Not that it matters. One quick glance is all it would take for Venim to realize I’m not sitting where he left me. And once he makes that discovery, there will be hell to pay.
I have to act fast.
Scythro mentioned old tools. I move deeper into the mine, scanning my eyes along the floor as I go. At first, I don’t see anything but gray dirt, and my heart starts sinking lower and lower inside me.
Then, just as I’m about to lose hope, I see it, lying right at the very edge of the light.
A pickaxe!
The head of it is rusty as hell, and the wooden handle looks like it’s about ready to break, but the tip is still pretty sharp. As I heft it off the ground, I discover it’s got some good weight to it as well.
It’s a long shot, but it just might work.
I turn and hurry back toward the mouth of the mine, clutching my newfound treasure tightly against my chest.
I’m halfway there when a shadow falls across the entrance.