Chapter 52 #3
“You lost her already, ratchi,” Torvii sneered at the lizard alien. He clearly had no more respect for him than he did for her. “You should thank me for taking her eyes so she won't be able to get away from you again.”
“Our prize!” The ratchi snarled, a disturbing growl in his voice. She didn't know much about their culture or what being a prize meant, but it was clear that no one was allowed to break his toys except him.
Temnavi's struggles hadn't broken him free. However, they had managed to free his neck just enough that he could move his head.
He promptly used that freedom to sink his fangs into the ratchi's arm. Blue blood stained the young boy's face as the ratchi tried to rip him away. Temnavi just gnawed deeper, still trying to scratch at him with his single emerged claw.
“Useless novi can't even control a youngling,” Torvii said with a long-suffering sigh.
Peony didn't see the blow coming. She just felt pain explode against the side of her head. She dropped to the ground, sand filling her mouth and nose as she gasped against the pain. Her ear was ringing, and her entire head was spinning as she writhed on the ground.
She ordered her body to stand, but it refused to obey. The head wound wasn't enough to knock her out, but it was hard enough to keep her from recovering.
By the time she was able to open her eyes and check on Temnavi, Torvii had grabbed hold of him by the hair and had jerked his head back, yanking his fangs free. Both of them held onto his wiggling body as Peony's hand searched through the sand for her weapon.
She found it just as Temnavi seemed to remember the proper movement he had been taught in order to break an opponent's grip. Peony didn't see what happened, but she heard the ratchi, then Torvii, yell out in pain.
Temnavi hit the sand and took off running towards her.
Peony stumbled to her feet and ran to meet him.
“Run!” She shouted as they passed each other. She didn't turn back to see that he obeyed. She brought back the plastic shank and slammed it down with all her weight, driving it deep into the thigh of the ratchi that tried to pursue him, then immediately, brutally, yanked it free.
As his leg collapsed under his weight, bright blood spurting out from whatever artery she must have struck, she swung around him, aiming next for Torvii.
She wasn't so lucky this time.
With disgusting ease, Torvii caught the plastic with one hand, jerked it and, by extension, her close, then twisted it until the pain in her wrist forced her to release it. At the same time, with his other hand, he grabbed her by the hair and jerked her back, controlling her by the scalp.
With a sneer, he threw away her plastic weapon. She was reaching back, scratching uselessly at his tough skin, trying to kick out at him with no effect other than making her own toes ache with the pointless strikes.
“You are more annoying than I anticipated,” he drolled.
Peony hocked back then spit right in his face.
He cried out in disgust, twisting her away from him, making pain burst out over her scalp, but he didn't release her.
“Filthy, primitive, disgusting female!” He snarled, wiping at his face. He was holding himself out of her reach, so she started kicking sand at him.
She couldn't break free of his grip, and Temnavi was gone – she could see the tracks where he had climbed a tall dune, out of their reach.
The ratchi and Torvii had ignored him. The former because he was trying to control his bleeding while the latter was more focused on Peony.
She could throw all her effort into fighting against them now.
“Get the boy!” Torvii ordered, shoving Peony's face towards the ground. Trying to control her as she scooped sand towards his face with one hand and beat against his calf with the other.
The ratchi snarled, still trying to staunch the pulsatile bleeding. He looked like he was on the verge of either passing out or seizing. She was pretty sure the ratchi seized after too much blood loss. At least, that's what Atem told her after she killed the first one.
And it was an amazing thought to her that she might have just killed a second. She had no idea she was so bloodthirsty. But seeing his dark blue blood staining the sand, knowing he was a threat to both her babies, she felt only vicious delight.
“I can't be chasing anyone like this,” the ratchi growled. “My leg is useless!”
“You're useless! He's a clawless boy! He's seen me. He can't be allowed to get away!”
The ratchi let his head fall back and released a sibilous roar. A moment later, two more roars followed suit from over the dunes.
“My brethren will find him,” the ratchi said, dropping onto his butt, digging into the sand with his long, spiked tail.
“I am filled with confidence,” Torvii snarled, jerking Peony's head back. “In the meantime, my sweet Adassani,” he cooed into her ear, making her shiver with disgust. “You are going back to your cage. And you won't be given a second chance to escape!”
Peony tried to fight, but he didn't even attempt to carry her. He dragged her by the hair across the sand – slow and deliberate. She felt the tiny granules rub irritatingly against her skin. She continued to kick and thrash despite the agony on her scalp.
“Surrounded by useless, weak, fools,” Torvii was grumbling, more to himself than her.
“After all the effort I took to make Jutitorii dominani, I thought it was all easy from there.
I had my puppet in place. I controlled the dominani and I would never be challenged for that.
I could even control who challenged that fool by rejecting any real threats.
I didn't think Atem would be a threat. He was such a carefree novi when he took my test. He passed, but I thought for sure he wouldn't beat Jutitorii. And what did I get for that? Should have known better.”
He began the arduous process of trying to climb a dune while also carrying her. Peony did everything in her power to make it more difficult, sending a ton of sand sliding down towards the valley as he snarled and fought against her.
“And now here I find myself with a dominani I can't get anyone to betray who leaves himself no opening to be attacked. And the one time I did finally manage to trick him into being caught, fortune frowns on me by delivering him a vurick good for nothing more than her cunt.”
It took some time, but he finally got them above the dune. Peony immediately took the opportunity to search for Temnavi, but the sun had fully set, and the entire desert was lit only by the bright moons that did little to alleviate the darkness.
She could only hope he got away as she was dragged off by the hair.