Chapter 18

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

T he Arena

The arena buzzed with the electric energy of the crowd, the air thick with the smell of sweat and bug guts as Dur’vok and C’Nar came to a stop in the middle of the arena. She wanted to roll her eyes when she realized they were just out of range of Zade’s weapons.

But not hers. She checked the crossbow. Yep, she had one bolt left. Just in case. She didn’t trust C’Nar at all. Not one bit. She and Zade had just completed the third test. They’d won. So, what the hell was C’Nar trying to pull now?

Ashlyn stood proudly beside Zade, hand in hand, as they waited to see what would happen next. Her body vibrated with aftershocks of the battle they had just won, adrenaline still thrumming through her system.

The rest of the Council members watched from their high seats, murmuring amongst themselves. Whether in approval or dismay, she had no idea.

She glanced at Zade, his breathing heavy but steady, his eyes scanning the arena for any remaining threats. A small smile touched her lips, a silent acknowledgment of their victory. The remains of the huge creature and its offspring lay scattered on the arena floor, vapor rising from the steaming flesh.

The bond they had formed, even if under the guise of a fake engagement, seemed real in this moment of triumph. She allowed the tension to ease from her shoulders.

Councilor Dur’vok raised his hand and the noise of the crowd shifted from chaotic celebration to expectant silence. Everyone in attendance knew that a Council seat was a stake. No doubt, they also knew the Ubrion family’s reputation for underhanded tactics, cheating, and just plain evil.

The Councilor’s robes swirled around his armor, his face deathly pale and full of urgency as C’Nar moved to stand beside him. “Council Members, warriors, guests," he began, his voice steady despite the tension. "I have just received a communication from a 'Dark One’. He says his name is Rapshider, which translates into ‘Bone Crusher’. He has requested entrance into the arena to speak to the Council. As a show of good faith on his part, and a guarantee of our safety, he has decloaked and lowered the shields on his ship, which is now in Earth’s orbit.”

A collective gasp rose from the crowd. Ashlyn’s heart pounded painfully in her chest as she listened. She glanced at Zade, who had gone rigid beside her, his eyes narrowed in focus. “What is a ‘Dark One’?”

Zade reached for her, indicating she should move closer. He pulled a small cloth from a side pocket of his pants and cleaned the gore from his sword, as he spoke. “They are monstrous creatures, servants of the A’Nua Na-KI, that exist only to kill. They feed on any fleshly beings they can find and are nearly impossible to injure, let alone destroy, because they are interdimensional beings. Their bodies shift between realms at will. We have almost no defense against them. Allowing one anywhere near us is insane.”

Councilor Dur'vok continued, oblivious to the pit that just opened up in her stomach. “As a representative member of the entire Council, I have agreed to Rapshider’s––Bone Crusher's request. Please remain calm as he materializes.”

A chill ran down her spine as the crowd waited with bated breath. She had never seen a Dark One, but the stark terror on the Councilor’s face and Zade’s description were enough to haunt her. If they were servants of the A’Nua Na-KI, how much worse were those things?

A low level hum was their only warning as Bone Crusher appeared. His skin, a void-like black, seemed to pull at the edges of reality, absorbing light. His eyes were sunken and unreadable, bottomless pits of darkness. Bone jutted from his skin in grotesque patterns, adding to his terrifying visage. His claws, razor sharp and deadly, held the limp body of a man. A Caldorian, by the looks of his markings.

Gasps of horror echoed around the arena. Blood dripped from where Bone Crusher’s claws pierced the man’s shoulders.

Ashlyn's jaw dropped as she recognized the broken and bruised body. “Oh, no! That’s the Base commander who went missing last year. I know him! Oh god! Is he dead? Where are Cam and Rachel?” She scanned the crowd, hoping to see them in the seats they’d occupied earlier. With the entire crowd on their feet, she couldn’t find them in the mass of bodies.

Zade glanced down at Ashlyn, his expression grim. “Commander Bashall. I’d heard rumors of his disappearance. Nothing good can come of this. I need to speak to my second in command. If a Dark One is here, we need to be prepared.”

He tapped his communicator. “Bren!”

Unable to hear a response from his second in command, he called again, this time covering his other ear in an effort to block out the noise around him. Nothing worked. Zade pushed down his unease. He should be able to reach Bren. Was the signal somehow being blocked?

A deep, telepathic growl filled their minds. “Give me the Lumerians who killed my mate,” Bone Crusher demanded.

When no one responded, a new Council member stepped forward, one Ashlyn had yet to meet, his voice edged with fear. "There are no more Lumerians. They were destroyed long ago.”

Bone Crusher’s fury was palpable. “Lies.” He tightened his grip on Commander Bashall, eliciting a scream of agony from the commander as his claws easily ripped through the Commander’s flesh like a hot knife through butter.

Alarms all across the arena began to scream in warning. Chaos erupted as half of the Councilors began running for cover, pushing and shoving one another in an effort to escape, while the other half sat frozen in horror.

Ashlyn swallowed past the lump in her throat. Zade was busy trying to contact his ship. She needed to find Rachel; make sure her little sister was safe. Memories of the previous attack on the base flashed through her mind. Now, everywhere she looked, there was chaos, people running and screaming, just like then. She touched Zade's sleeve and shouted over the deafening noise, “I'll be back. I have to find my sister!”

Not waiting for a response, she stepped behind Zade and pushed her way toward the nearest exit, scanning the crowd. Her heart was pounding so hard, her chest hurt.

She turned her head, almost in slow motion, away from the terrifying scene unfolding in front of her just as C’Nar bumped into her.

She recoiled in disgust as he leaned in close, his breath warm against her ear. Where the hell had he come from? With everyone’s focus on the Dark One, she’d forgotten all about him.

“Be silent. Run to the Dark One," he commanded. “Run as fast as you can and let no one stand in your way.”

A wave of terror crashed over her as his words ignited a compulsion within her. Before she could resist, her legs moved on their own accord, carrying her unerringly toward Bone Crusher. Panic surged through her veins, her mind screaming to stop, but her body refused to listen, the chains of obedience around her ankles taking away her ability to control her own body.

A collective gasp from the crowd made Zade turn. His voice cut through the noise as he saw Ashlyn running toward the Dark One. He broke into a sprint, racing toward her with desperation, but she was almost to the foul creature. “Ashlyn! No!” he screamed.

Tears streamed down Ashlyn's face as she neared the terrifying creature. She could feel the Dark One’s malevolent presence grow stronger as she neared, a cold, suffocating weight in her mind that threatened to engulf her. His eyes locked onto her, a predatory gleam shining within their depths as he lifted one clawed hand from his prisoner’s body and brought it down in a death blow.

Zade threw himself in front of her, taking the full force of the strike. The sickening sound of flesh tearing filled the air as Bone Crusher’s claws ripped into Zade’s side. He collapsed to the ground, blood pouring from the deep gashes.

A horrified scream tore from her throat, breaking her out of C’Nar’s compulsion. She fell to her knees beside Zade. His breathing was shallow, his eyes closed. "Zade, no!" she sobbed, her hands trembling as she pressed them to his wounds, her fingers slick with his blood. She could feel the warmth of his life slipping away.

Bone Crusher roared, his fury shaking the arena. "Give me the Lumerians, or I will kill your precious commander and everyone else who stands in my way!" His telepathic threat reverberated through their minds, a dark promise of death and destruction.

Councilor Dur’vok stepped forward, his face ashen. "There are no Lumerians!” he insisted, his voice unsteady. “They are all gone!"

“I see your thoughts, bloodsack.” Bone Crusher’s eyes blazed with uncontrolled rage as he jabbed his claws deeper into Commander Bashall, who let out a tortured scream. The crowd gasped; horror etched on every face. “You lie to me. Bring the Lumerians or suffer the same fate.”

Alarms continued to blare, the high-pitched sound grating against Ashlyn’s ears. She went numb as she used every bit of strength she possessed to pull Zade out of the Dark One’s reach while he was distracted by Councilor Dur’vok.

Once she was sure they were a safe distance away, she dropped down and pressed her hands to Zade’s wounds, tried to stop the bleeding as her mind reeled from the shock of Zade's injury and the terror of Bone Crusher’s presence.

Blood pooled around Zade, staining the ground dark red as Bone Crusher’s claws twitched, malevolent glee radiating outward. "This is your last chance," he growled at Councilor Dur’vok, then lifted his face to scan the remaining Councilors. "Give me the Lumerians!”

Zade’s eyes opened briefly, his gaze locking onto hers. " Shenga ," he whispered, his voice weak.

Ashlyn’s heart shattered, fear and desperation clawing at her. “I love you, Zade,” she choked out, tears streaming down her face, blurring her vision. The truth of her words struck her with overwhelming force, hit her like a physical blow. She loved him. Truly, deeply loved him. And now, she was on the brink of losing him.

Bone Crusher sneered, his gaze sweeping the terrified crowd. “You have until nightfall,” he declared. With a final, contemptuous glance, he vanished, leaving the arena in stunned silence.

Ashlyn remained with Zade, her hands pressed to his wounds as he lost consciousness. The crowd was frozen, the shock of what had just occurred holding them in place. The faint murmurs of disbelief, the rustle of movement as people began to process the horror they had just witnessed, was slow to reach her ears.

"I’m so sorry," Ashlyn whispered, her voice breaking. Guilt was a crushing weight on her chest, suffocating her. She sobbed, her tears falling onto his bloodstained skin. “Why did you do that? I couldn’t stop. I couldn’t stop! I’m so sorry!”

The arena was a blur of motion around her as medics rushed in, but all she could see was Zade, his life hanging by a thread. The sound of the alarms faded into the background, replaced by the frantic beating of her heart and the overwhelming fear that she would lose him forever.

Ashlyn’s heart pounded with fear and desperation. "Please, Zade, stay with me," she begged, her voice barely a whisper as her tears mingled with his blood. "I can’t lose you. Not now."

The medics gently but swiftly moved her aside, working to stabilize him as best they could. Ashlyn watched, feeling utterly helpless, as they applied pressure to his wounds and administered emergency treatments. She could hear their urgent voices, the clinical terms and instructions, but none of it registered. All she could focus on was Zade, his life slipping through her fingers like sand through the hourglass.

The medics prepared to transport Zade to the medical bay, their faces grim. She followed, her heart heavy with grief and despair. She couldn’t lose him. Not like this. Not when she had just realized how much he meant to her.

The arena faded into the background as she raced alongside the medics, her eyes never leaving Zade’s pale, still form. She whispered a silent prayer, hoping against hope that he would pull through.