Chapter 19
The visit disturbed me. I couldn’t get the haunted eyes of the mated male out of my mind. Nothing like this had happened before in my time as Vorazyr.
Had one of my vorpyrren gone feral? On the rare occasions that happened many died at their claws before they were caught and publicly executed by the families of those they had killed or wronged.
The female had been pregnant. Was that a draw or did that not matter to whoever took her?
Possibly killed her. I had left multiple warriors to continue the search for the missing female.
It was dark when I got back, parking the small ship and plummeting to my home, spreading my wings at the last moment, hitting down heavily.
With dread I saw my vorazka was in an uproar.
“What is going on?” I said sharply to Vuldrex as he flapped through the filigree nironum gate that led from the main rooms to the balcony.
The veins on his wings pulsed white. Not good. Vuldrex never got flustered.
“The prisoners—” he started cautiously.
My wings snapped behind me as I pinned him with my gaze. “What happened to the prisoners?” To Jacqueline.
“They’ve run away.”
My mind raced. “I want full details of how this happened later. Where is Kyvar?”
“He hasn’t arrived back yet, Vorazyr.”
“Tell the captain and Pyravor to meet me in my office.” I strode away, worry and anger making my wings twitch. How could they have been so foolish to think that they could get away from me? That they were safer out there than here?
Junyv flew to a landing on the floor I was on. I called to her, and she looked over at me, flinching when she saw me and dropping her gaze. “Vorazyr.” She murmured.
“Meet me at my office.” She may not know anything, but she had been the one tasked with caring for Jacqueline and the rest, and she might have something useful to add.
“Yes, Vorazyr.” she murmured.
By the time my vorpyrren had gathered, Kyvar had just made it back and Vuldrex had filled him in.
“What caused them to flee like this? Despite their entire species being enemies and their committing a grievous crime against our ancestor’s lands, we haven’t tortured or abused them.
We’ve even taken them out to walk around the city and ensured they had their needs well met.
” Kyvar ground his back teeth. I was not the only one angry and fearing for the weak humans out in the wilds at night.
Junyv made a noise in her throat, and my gaze sliced to hers. She glanced at the captain and then quickly dropped her gaze to the ground.
I narrowed my eyes. “What do you know?”
A tremor shook her wings. “Nothing. They seemed content when I last saw them.”
I pivoted my attention. “Captain, search their quarters to see what they took. I want to know how prepared they were.”
If he thought the task was beneath him, he didn’t show it, just clapped his wings and left, the sour look he’d been wearing for so long gone from his face.
“Speak, Junyv.” I leveled her with a hard stare.
“I heard captain Jzulyk tell Ular that he’d informed the female you spend too much time with that they would soon be killed at the festival as a sacrifice to the ancestors in the other realm, that it would be a relief to rid us of their vile presence.”
A snarl ripped from my chest and I bared my fangs. Junyv flinched, still not looking at me, and stepped toward her father instinctively.
Vuldrex stretched his wing out to touch her. He watched me calmly.
“We will spread out and search in every direction. Rattle if you find anything showing the direction they’re traveling and we will focus our efforts on that area. They’re human and bound to the ground, they won’t have made it far.” I ordered.
“What about Jzulyk?” Kyvar asked cautiously.
“Go confine him to his house and then join us. I will deal with him personally after this.” I said coldly, knowing my fangs were showing but not caring. “The most important thing right now is to find them before they succumb to the wilds.” I turned to Vuldrex. “Do you know if they took anything?”
He hesitated, then tipped his chin down in submission to my question. “I am not sure, but a transitionor tablet was torn from the wall.”
“They’re going to try to rewire it to send a distress signal.” I said. There was no other reason for tech like that. “Fly and find them.”
Even though we had good night vision and a strong sense of smell, we were unable to find the humans’ trail among the thick foliage and pungent smells of the jungle.
I called everyone back to the vorazka during the early morning hours.
“They must have found shelter for the night.” I could only hope.
“Rest. We will resume our search at daybreak.” They dispersed.
Kyvar joined me as I poured a drink and let it burn down my throat. I poured him a glass and he took it.
“We need to be prepared for different outcomes. What will we do if they get the tech working and can send a distress signal?”
“There is no possible way the tech they have can reach to another planet, and there likely aren’t any ships close enough to receive it.
” I rustled my wings. “If by some extraordinary chance they get someone to hear them, they are our prisoners, no one can change that and no other species would even try. Their own leaders haven’t even reached out to get them back. ” I scoffed.
“And if they’re injured or killed?” He watched me carefully, but I revealed nothing of my thoughts.
“Then we have three prisoners we no longer have to care for.” I hadn’t realized how much I’d come to enjoy Jacqueline’s presence until I tasted the bitterness of those words.