Chapter 32

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

Floxxia and a few of the other freed prisoners found one of the dead men's combat litters and loaded Braxxos onto it, hauling him into the mothership on Margot's direction.

"This one," she said, opening the door to what had previously been her quarters.

She was pleased to find almost nothing had changed. It was usually empty with the men sleeping out in their tents, and since the only thing that had changed since her escape was the diminishing number of pursuers, there had been no reason for anyone to move back aboard. There were a few personal items tucked away in a drawer, but that was about it. And as the ship was not leaving now, and the men who crewed it were all quite dead, she now reclaimed it as her own.

"Over there," she directed the litter-bearers.

They deposited Braxxos's unconscious form onto the bunk and stepped out. Floxxia gently rested her hand on her arm with a warm squeeze. "If you need anything , you know where we'll be."

"Thank you Floxxia. But I'm staying right here."

"I thought you might say that. I'll have them bring you some food and water. Some clean rags as well. He is still something of a mess."

"Thanks."

Floxxia stepped out, leaving her to sit quietly beside her mate. A short while later, as promised, food, drink, and a pile of clean rags arrived. She had no appetite, but the rags were useful. They'd given the slumbering man a quick wipe-down and a basic once-over out on the blood-soaked battleground, but he was still quite dirty.

She slowly wiped his body with a wet cloth, gently picking the last bits of dirt from wounds then pushing them closed again, using the self-adhesive material Floxxia had given her when they were particularly deep. Braxxos healed faster as the beast, but he still mended quite quickly in his normal form. But with such blood loss there was no telling how long it might take for him to fully recover.

"I'm here," she said quietly. "As long as it takes."

The survivors, now freed of both their imprisonment as well as the shock collars a few had been bound with, spent the next several days regaining their strength slowly as they helped themselves to the dead men's larder. The barbecued animals were buried, the nature of their violent demise too personal and unappetizing for even the hungriest of prisoners. The rest of the provisions, however, were fair game, and all of them felt their energy rebound after just one day of proper food and rest.

The carnage had been more than extreme. It had been ridiculous. In his rage, the beast had utterly littered the camp with body parts. Arms, legs, entrails, all were scattered about like bloody confetti. It took the survivors a full day of hard work to just gather up all of the pieces before beginning the arduous task of burying them.

It was Floxxia who suggested they scatter them in all directions, burying them within the ruined ground of the camp itself. Deep enough to not pose any health issues for them, of course. But this place was a scar upon the otherwise beautiful landscape, and she wanted to do this small thing to help it heal.

"Let them feed the trees and vines and flowers of this world they so violently intruded upon. It will not fully erase the damage done, but it's a start."

The others agreed, and even the squeamish did their part. Within just two days, every last one was buried, the ground free of blood and debris. That was just step one.

Step two was getting the smaller scouting ships cleaned up and properly operational after the pounding they'd taken in recent days, as well as prepping the mothership for its next journey. They would leave this world together, flying incognito in the unexpected camouflage of Gromm's formidable craft.

By the time they reached their destination many systems away, their friends on the planet Olantius would be ready to receive them. A formidable people, and staunch allies, they would keep Floxxia and the rest safe from hunters, providing them asylum.

The ship had proven something of a boon for them in more ways than just providing a secure means of passage. Gromm was a secretive man, and he used biometric security measures to secure his wealth. He was the biggest and strongest aboard, and no one could ever force him to unlock his storage lockers full of booty.

But with his dead body at their disposal, eye scans, fingerprints, and even rune triggers, were all disabled easily, the survivors hauling pieces of the man around with them until they'd finally unlocked every sealed compartment, storage bin, and vault aboard the ship.

The wealth was impressive. And it was more than enough to give them a comfortable start on their new lives.

Beyond monetary booty, there had been many other things tucked away for safekeeping. Among them a small vial of powerful pigment. It was of a different variety than what Floxxia had marked Margot with. That had been incredibly strong in its own right, but this variety had a different purpose. It was a booster pigment, designed to help one's existing markings channel more power to each other. Kind of like a battery backup.

She knew just the use for it.

"It will help his body heal faster," she explained as she marked the unconscious man's body, displaying her Skrizzit skills in a friendly rather than forced situation. She was marking him with the greatest of care, ensuring he would get the most from the additional pigment.

"Is that it?" Margot asked when she was done.

"That is it. Now, shed your top. There is still a little left, and I would see to it that you possess the rest of it. As he is your mate, it is only fitting."

Margot didn't complain. A little more power flowing through her would be a good thing, especially after what they'd just endured. What she didn't expect was the way it made her Infala feel as the pigment bonded with her body. That rune was already locked in and strong, but this tiny addition made it glow brighter.

"There. That should do it," Floxxia said, satisfied with her work and fascinated with the rapid healing trait her human friend now possessed. "I will leave you two alone. If I am correct, he should be rousing shortly."

"You don't have to leave."

The old woman chuckled.

"What?" Margot asked, a bit surprised. "What aren't you telling me?"

"Oh, nothing. You'll see soon enough. Your Infalas became complete while you were separated."

"Yeah. And?"

"And that means you have yet to properly seal your union. It happens for all Infala mates. You will see. Now, I must go help the others. We still have work to do before our journey. Relax and enjoy yourself, my friend. You have more than earned it."