Chapter 11 #2
I ruthlessly shoved down the excited squeal that tried to climb up my throat. It was too early for a victory dance just yet. I’d been here before, so sure I’d won, only for Rathal’s stupid ass to pounce at the last second.
I jerked to the side when Horak slithered past me and then winced at my reaction.
This place made me jumpy. I hoped the nice snakeman didn’t take offence, but when I snuck a glance at him as I followed beside him he seemed to be oblivious to my reaction.
In fact, he seemed to be happy for the company with the way his too long smile spread across his face.
I got the impression that Horak was a cheerful male.
He probably whistled while he worked. We rounded another curve in the tracks and started down an incline that dipped nearly at a forty-five degree angle.
Just what I wanted, to go deeper into the underground. Yippee.
“So, how did you end up down here? It's not an easy place to access outside of the docking bays.”
I contemplated lying, but honesty had always served me before so I sighed and told him the truth instead.
“I’m running away from a covetous crazy person who kidnapped me and has decided that marrying me is the very first thing on his to do list. I figured if I can get to a shuttle, I can jump far enough out of the system that he won’t catch up to me until I’m safely back with my own people. ”
Horak stopped and stared down at me, his eyes wide. “What? You were kidnapped? That’s horrible!”
The way his deep voice pitched higher and the outraged shock plastered all over his serpentine face made me feel a lot better.
“Right?! You are the first person on this whole damn station that has acted like I’m the wronged party here.”
He huffed, his hand coming to his chest as he continued forward down the tunnel.
“Of course you’re the wronged party! You were brought here to be married against your will!
That’s down right barbaric! Well don’t you worry, I’m going to get you to that shuttle if it's the last thing I do. Who in their right mind would do such a thing? Is it a spurned suitor? My sister had one of those. I had to pull his tail off to get him to leave her alone. And my sister is three times my size! You’re so small and alone.
Would no one help you? This station has gone to hell.
I’m going to bring this up in the next Assembly. ”
He talked a lot with his hands and a laugh escaped as I ducked to avoid being taken out as he swung his arms about as he ranted.
He was so incensed on my behalf that the tension between my shoulder blades loosened and I took a deep breath, then let it out and grinned big enough to put an ache in my cheeks.
“No, No. Not a spurned suitor. It would be less complicated if that was all it was. But no, I had to garner the attention of the king of the space pirates and he decided he just had to have me for his ‘collection’,” I said, adding air quotes, a sneer twisting my grin into a nasty caricature.
Horak came to a sudden stop and looked down at me like I’d just said I wanted to kill his mother and chop her up to make soup.
“Rathal? Rathal is the one who kidnapped you?” he asked, his voice coming out a hissing squeak before his eyes widened and he pointed a shaking finger at me, slithering backwards against the wall like I had mange and he didn’t want to risk contamination.
“Oh dear sweet gods of creation, you’re his prize aren’t you?
” He covered his face with both hands and shook his head back and forth.
“I’ve aided and abetted his prize!” He groaned long and loud and slunk down the wall, his coils gathering around him.
“I’m dead. Dead and buried! My mother is going to weep over my mangled, chopped up corpse while Rathal pats her shoulder and lies through his narrow, filthy, lying teeth about the tragic accident that befell me.
Ooohhhh why me?! What have I done to anger you, oh gods? What?!”
Okay. That was a bit much, wasn’t it?
I looked around the darkened tunnel like someone was just around the next corner to help me out of this situation before returning my gaze back to the still moaning snake man on the floor.
He’d taken to throwing his arm over his eyes like a dandy in a historical romance novel.
Was everyone on this station drama queens?
“Uh, Horak? You going to be okay there, buddy?” Do I pat his shoulder? Hug him? I was not good in these situations.
He jerked his arm away from his face and glared at me, the orange of his sclera brightening with his ire. “I am not your ‘buddy’ and I will not be okay! Do you have any idea what Rathal does to people who steal from him? Horrible things, female! Horrible things!”
I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest. “Alright, first of all, my name is Callie, not ‘female’, and second of all, you didn’t steal me, fool. I ran into you in my escape attempt and you offered to help me before you had all the facts.”
Horak surged upwards until his scaled head brushed the ceiling some ten feet above me.
“Do you think Rathal cares about facts or logic? The crazy bastard is insane! You—”, he pointed two fingers for emphasis, “—you are going to have to come with me. It's the only way to salvage this.” He lowered himself to a more normal height and gave me a look I didn't much care for. There was a crazy light in his eyes. “ I—I caught you! That’s right. I caught you in the tunnel and I’m bringing you to the Undercity for collection. Don’t fight me, please.
I like my life and I would prefer to keep on living it, thank you very much. ”
Mother. Fucker.