25. Helsa
HELSA
I heard him before I saw him.
A hiss, low and wet, coming from somewhere behind us. Then the sound of feet on rock. The pace of something that was injured, knew it, and was managing the cost.
Still, he couldn’t afford to let the mate go. Not like this. Not when she was so close.
I twisted in the grip enough to look back.
The Withholder.
He was still coming.
The blood running down his face was blue-green, almost luminous, catching the light in a way that would have been beautiful under different circumstances.
He had a cut above his eye and one along his jaw.
He was moving with the careful slowness of something that had spent everything it had and was still not done.
His eyes were on me.
He knew too that if he couldn’t stop my kidnapper before we reached that spire, he could kiss me goodbye.
Just the thought of that thing kissing me… I shivered .
"Ssshare," he said. The word came out hissing between his serrated teeth. "We take her together. Both of usss."
The Controller didn't answer. This was my name for him as he, well, was controlling the situation.
"Both," the Withholder said again. Louder. The hiss had something under it now, something that was not quite a growl and not quite a plea. "Ssshe belongsss to usss both."
The Controller stopped walking.
He turned, still holding me, and looked at the Withholder with a patient flat expression.
Then he hit him. So fast, I barely even caught it.
One movement. The hand not holding me came around and caught the Withholder sideways. He caught himself on one knee. The blue-green blood dripped off his jaw and onto the rock.
The Controller turned and resumed walking.
I watched the Withholder get back to his feet.
He kept coming.
This had happened twice already. The pattern was consistent: the Withholder would close the distance, say some version of the same thing, and the Controller would knock him back without breaking stride. And the Withholder would get up. And close the distance again.
What is he trying to do? Wear him down with his face?
Not that I was complaining. Any delay was good.
And it gave me another benefit: neither of them could do anything with me while the other one was standing there.
They were at a standstill.
I was the standstill.
It was not a comfortable position to occupy but it was, technically, a safe one. For now, at least.
As long as they kept circling each other neither could make a move that the other one wouldn't immediately contest. I had read enough about territorial animals in another life, a life with Wi-Fi and a working coffee machine, to understand that this was a stalemate that could hold for a while.
The Withholder darted forward again.
The Controller turned and shoved him back with one hand, barely breaking stride.
The Withholder hit the rock, rolled, got up.
Still coming.
I watched him over the Controller's shoulder and thought: Keep going! Get up every time! Be the most annoying thing on this platform!
I needed him conscious and furious for as long as possible.
It was a very small silver lining.
It was all I had.
And soon, I wouldn’t even have that.