18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Faelin

My head throbs. I want to groan from the pain but I hold the sound back, not wanting to let anyone know I’m awake in case they’re waiting to knock me out again.

I do a quick mental assessment of my body. Everything aches and my head feels like a fucking pulsar has taken residence inside of it but I don’t have any broken bones or more serious injuries.

Even without opening my eyes, I notice two things—the heavy weight of a metal collar around my neck and the warmth of a tiny body curled up by my side. Relief from Ellen being next to me outweighs the outrage of being collared. I brought that on myself by threatening Drayth, but what choice did I have? I needed him to focus on me and not on the little girl that now sleeps peacefully next to me, using me as a portable heater, no doubt, since the metal floor we lie on is so damned cold.

I risk peeking with my eyes squinted open, unsurprised to see the bare walls of an empty room, similar to the one where I found Ellen the first time. Perhaps it is the same one.

At least we’re alone and I can safely look around for weapons and escape routes. Not that I expect to find any. Drayth isn’t a criminal mastermind, but he isn’t completely stupid either.

The room doesn’t have any hatches we could open and the air vents are too small for even Ellen’s doll to squeeze through. The panel by the door is offline. D’Aakh could probably hack into it and get the door open but I don’t possess such skills. There’s nothing to be used as a weapon, either. In fact, there’s nothing here at all. My guess is that this used to be a storage room that has been cleared out and turned into an ad hoc holding cell.

No way out, no tools I could use. A slave collar around my neck. The prospects might seem grim, but I don’t let that bother me. There’s always a happy ending. My happy ending will be Nala throwing herself into my arms after I’ve rescued her daughter. Oh, and me killing Drayth. That will be a happily-ever-after for many people, I presume. Apart from Drayth, of course.

Since there’s nothing I can do at the moment, I stay on the floor, letting Ellen sleep. She snores lightly, her adorable half-human, half-Syndoran nose scrunched as she takes deep, calm breaths. I can definitely see Nala in her features. I fight back the sudden paternal urge to stroke her wild hair. She needs to sleep.

Did Nala really think I wouldn’t want her if I knew she had a child? I love her even more!

I don’t even pause to consider my thoughts, unsurprised by the realization. I love Nala. How could I not? She’s strong, caring, and deeply passionate about her daughter. One day, I hope to find myself loved by her too. For now, I soak in happiness from having not one, but two females I can love and protect.

Sadly, the protection part will be necessary sooner than I’d like and now that I’m wearing the slave collar, I’m not sure I’ll do a stellar job. I’ve never worn one of these before, but I know whoever’s holding the controller can send me to my knees with just the touch of a button. Or knock me out cold.

But my friends are close by, I know that. I have absolute faith in them. They’ll come for us. All I have to do is keep Ellen safe until then. If necessary, I can keep needling Drayth to keep his attention on me. If he’s torturing me, he isn’t hurting her.

Ellen whimpers in her sleep, her tiny body jerking. “Shh,” I soothe, my fingers sliding through her wild curls. “Everything is alright.”

She jerks awake, her wide eyes darting around the room. “Mama?” she cries out, the first tear already making its way down her striped cheek. “Mama!”

I gently squeeze her shoulder to get her attention. I’d pull her into my arms but I don’t want to scare her more. I’m not sure she wants my comfort anyway. I’d promised to bring her to her mother but only managed to get her hurt.

“Mama’s not here, little one,” I whisper when she looks at me. “But she’s coming, I promise. Would you—”

Ellen throws herself on top of me before I’ve finished the sentence, sobbing into my chest. I wrap my arms around her little body, wishing I could magically whisk her away from this place. “Failin! You’re okay! Master Drayth hit you and you wouldn’t wake up.”

It takes me a moment to realize some of her tears are tears of relief. I know she probably only cares for me because I’m the singular kind soul in this place, but her concern for my health has my chest puffing out with joy.

“I’m alright, little one. I have a tough head. See?” I knock on my forehead, smiling when Ellen lets out a snotty giggle.

“I’m not little,” she retorts, quickly shifting from giggling to pouting as she realizes I just called her ‘little’. “You said I was a big girl. I am a big girl. And I want Mama.”

“My apologies, big girl,” I tease, then a sigh escapes me. “I want your mama too. But we’ll have to be patient.”

She pouts again. “Why?”

That catches me off guard. “Uhm, why? Why what?”

“Why do we have to be patient?”

I strain my brain, coming up with an appropriate answer a four-year-old would understand is hard. The problem is, I have no idea what a four-year-old understands. “Because we’re on Drayth’s ship right now and we can’t get off.”

“Why?”

“Because we’re in space and people can’t breathe in space.”

“Why not?”

“Because there’s no oxygen.”

“What’s oxygen?”

I rub my throbbing forehead. “It’s what we breathe. Look,” I interrupt her before she can ask why we need to breathe or another surprisingly difficult question. “Right now, we’re locked in this room. We need to rest and gather our strength so that when the time comes, we can run.”

Ellen purses her lips as she mulls it over, then nods. “Alright. Will you sleep those bad men like you slept Aunt Mu? They were mean. They…” She sniffles, more tears welling in her eyes. “They took Zuri. They broke her.” She starts crying again, loud sobs reverberating throughout her entire body.

I just hold her, not knowing what to say. Rage simmers beneath my skin, needing an outlet. Who the fuck steals a toy from a child and then destroys it in front of their eyes?!

I’m killing these assholes, I decide. Personally. Every single one of them. Not just Drayth, but also those evil bastards who think it’s okay to blow hot steam at a child and rip a toy out of their hands. Such depraved creatures don’t deserve to live.

The door opening drags me out of my murderous thoughts. I jump to my feet, holding Ellen in my arms. Whatever happens, I’m not letting go of her.

Four guards enter, aiming stunners at me. I struggle to suppress the nasty smirk trying to sneak out. It looks like they’re being cautious around me now, rightfully so.

Drayth strides in after his men, wearing a cocky grin. “You’re up. Good. My guards won’t have to drag your unconscious body along. It doesn’t paint a good picture of the merchandise, if you know what I mean. I figure you’ll net a good price at the auction. I already have a buyer for the child and the rest of my cargo should sell well, too.”

“What cargo?”

“None of your fucking business. Follow,” Drayth orders, marching out of the room.

With Ellen safely tucked into my arms, I follow, the back of my neck itching from the guns pointing at me. “Stay quiet,” I whisper into her ear. “And don’t look.” I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I remember the messed up shit I was forced to witness as a child during the slum wars. I don’t want Ellen to have the same memories.

She buries her face into the folds of my shirt, clinging to me like one of those tiny tentacled beasts from Qara stuck fast to their mothers.

“My other cargo,” Drayth says as we walk through the ship’s corridors, more guards joining us, “is already stored in the Arcade’s cargo holds. High-quality cargo,” he boasts, clearly unable to help himself. “Weapons-grade crylonite, the most advanced guidance systems, those new shield generators the UGC has developed… Only the best for my customers.”

I’m not exactly happy he’s selling high-grade weapons tech, but at least he doesn’t have more slaves stashed somewhere.

We arrive at an external airlock. Uniformed guards open it from outside, meticulously scanning everyone before letting us through. Drayth’s goons are forced to leave the stunners behind and only continue with their shock sticks. One of them glares at me, waving what I assume is the remote control for my collar in front of my face. “Don’t do anything stupid, hybrid.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” I spit back at him, imagining how I’m going to kill him.

One look at the new guards tells me they are professionals, not a bunch of slobbering idiots like the trash Drayth hires. They’ll be difficult opponents when we are escaping this place. I can only hope there aren’t too many of them.

That hope dies as we walk through a wide doorway and enter into a huge open space. One could fit a small city in here. Instead of a city, though, there’s a market. Stalls lining the walls sell everything from drugs to banned chemical compounds, rare pets and weapons. Shitloads of weapons. Enough to arm an entire fleet.

My fingers itch to grab one as we pass by one of the many stalls but I don’t even try. I might not be a genius but even I know I’d be out cold before I manage to raise the weapon, let alone fire it. Doesn’t mean I can’t dream about it, though.

In between the stalls, there are small “plazas”, each dominated by a raised platform in the center. People gather around them, shouting and waving their hands. My fists clench when I realize what is being sold here. Slaves. Sentient beings of all shapes and sizes are being stripped and prodded, then auctioned off like cattle.

Ellen whimpers at the sudden onslaught of noise and maybe also from my grip getting tighter. Forcing my arms to relax, I repeat, “Don’t look,” under my breath, fervently praying that she obeys. She doesn’t need to see this shit. Hell, I don’t need to see this shit.

A snake-like creature slithers in our direction, making our guards stop. He straightens up to his full height, his forked tongue slipping past his lips. A Kashi, I assume, but not a full-blooded one. They require heat to function properly and this auction house from hell is rather chilly.

“Massster Drayth!” the snake exclaims, the corners of his mouth pulling back in what I can only assume is supposed to be a smile. “Welcome to the Arcade! We’re ssso happy to have you back. The merchandissse you sssent earlier is on disssplay at ssstall 17, but I sssee you’ve brought more?” His vertically slitted eyes skim over Ellen and me, judging, appraising, calculating. Just his looking makes me feel violated.

“Just the male,” Drayth clarifies. “I already have a buyer for the female.”

The snake blinks, first with his left eye, then with his right eye. It’s incredibly unnerving. “What a shame. Younglingsss alwaysss fetch a good price.”

“And a good profit for you, High Broker,” Drayth adds, laughing. “Don’t worry, I think the male will be enough. Are any of the gladiator auctions open?”

“Yesss, yesss,” High Broker hisses. “But, perhapsss…” His eyes slide over my body again, focusing on my crotch. “Why is he dresssed?” he scowls, his nostrils flaring. “I might have a buyer who will pay a generousss sssum for a healthy, ssstrong male, but I need to sssee if he’s well enough endowed for her.”

Drayth glares at me. “Take your clothes off, slave.”

A bite back a sharp retort, aware of the weight of Ellen’s body in my arms. Gently, I set her down. “Keep your eyes closed, my big brave girl,” I remind her.

“I’m brave,” she murmurs back, even as tears escape her tightly closed eyes.

“Yes, you are.”

I shuck off my shirt, tossing it on the floor behind me. A few of the meandering buyers stop nearby, attracted by the show. Feeling their eyes on me, I wish I could pluck them out, eyeball after eyeball.

My squad mates will be here soon—wherever here is—but I need to stall for time.

It’s clear that we’re still in space, so the Arcade is either a ship or a station. Based on the size of this open area we’re in, I’d say a station, but something tells me it’s a ship. A station would be vulnerable to attacks if its position was revealed. A ship, on the other hand, can jump to a different location whenever necessary. Always on the move, never staying in one place for too long.

My throat works hard as I look around at the vast amount of open space around us. There’s only one class of ship that can house a room of this size. A battleship. And if we’re on a battleship, we’re in huge fucking trouble. It doesn’t matter what kind of battleship the Arcade is. Whether it’s the standard UGC model, the sleeker, but deadlier Ataxian model, or any of the countless others, it’s going to be heavily armed and shielded.

Pain tears me from my current thoughts. Emanating from the collar around my neck, it echoes throughout my body, knocking me to my knees. I suck in a sharp breath through my gritted teeth, waiting for it to subside. When it finally does, my head slumps, I’m panting as I try to resupply my muscles with oxygen.

A hand grabs my hair, forcing me to look up, straight into Drayth’s smiling face. “I gave you an order, slave ,” he emphasizes. “Follow it! My apologies,” he says, turning to the High Broker. “I’ve only recently acquired him. He isn’t trained yet.”

“Not an isssue,” the snake replies, the tip of his tail twitching reflexively. “Thisss particular cussstomer lovesss breaking them in. The wilder the better.”

Drayth’s grin widens. “He should be perfect, then.” He glances at me, his smirk souring a little when he sees I still haven’t removed my pants. “Strip,” he orders. “Or else.”

“Or else what? You’re going to bore me to death with another one of your ridiculous monologues?” I snort. “I’m trembling in fear. Not. Is that how you best an enemy? Torturing them with a magical remote? Are you afraid to get your hands dirty? I bet you haven’t earned any of those golden rings you so proudly display. Ordering someone’s death doesn’t earn you a trophy for killing them, you know?”

It’s almost too easy to get under his skin. His fists clench and his lips roll back to reveal sharp teeth in a vicious snarl. I’m hitting a sensitive spot. Just as he raises the controller again, I snort out a laugh. “Oh, you’re not even going to punish me with your own hands? What a disappointment you are.”

To my surprise, several bystanders echo my laughter. Most of them sneer at Drayth with disdain, making him even angrier. If I could get him to jump me, then perhaps—

Ellen whimpers. One of the onlookers is touching her hair, trying to get her to open her eyes. I lunge, tackling him down to the ground and planting my fist into his larynx before my collar is activated again. Even as my whole body spasms in mindless waves of pain, I consider his wheezing gasps for air as a success.

“Sssilence!” hisses the High Broker. “The youngling isss sssold already.” He nods at his guards who drag the now unconscious slaver away. I hope he dies. He probably won’t, but a male can wish.

“Thisss isss taking too long,” the High Broker complains as the crowd around us disperses. “I have work to do. Presssent him.” Someone unceremoniously strips me, tearing the fabric of my pants to shreds when it catches around my ankle. I’m dragged over and unceremoniously dumped in front of the damned snake. I wish I could at least spit at him, but my muscles are yet to cease spasming randomly and aren’t responding to my commands.

His eyes rake over my body once again, pausing at my cock for longer than I’m comfortable with. I hold my breath as he brings a shock stick near my crotch. I can take pain from the collar, but this? Fuck, that would hurt. Fortunately, he only uses the stick to poke my very limp cock. I’ve never been less aroused and it shows.

“Hmm,” he hums, giving my cock another poke as if it will magically make me hard. “For your sssake, I hope it getsss bigger, ssslave,” he says, smirking. “My cussstomer hasss an appetite for male organsss. Thisss won’t sssatissfy her.”

I swallow roughly, hoping that the “appetite” is of a sexual nature and not appetite as in eating. Nobody’s eating my fucking cock! Except maybe Nala. If she wants it, she can have it roasted or stewed or whatever. But I’d much rather have it in her mouth while it’s still attached to my body.

“Take them both to the transssfer cellsss,” the High Broker orders. “I’ll transssfer the creditsss to your account once the trade is finalisssed, Massster Drayth. If the buyer refusssesss, I’ll put him into an arena auction.”

Drayth gives me one final victorious smirk before nodding. “Very well. I have to say I’m happy to have them off my hands. They’re nothing but trouble. I don’t suppose your customer would let me watch her break him in? I’d pay, of course. It’s something I’d very much love to see.”

The guards grab my arms and direct me to one of the marketplace exits. I shrug off their grip and reach for Ellen instead, scooping her back up into my arms. Sniffling, she curls into my chest. “You were very brave, big girl,” I praise her as I follow the guards. “Just hold on a little longer.”

“I want Mama,” she whimpers, her tiny fist hitting my pectoral muscle. “You said Mama would be here. I want her now.”

“She’s coming, I promise.” I don’t even consider alternative options because I know Nala will never give up. She’ll fight to her dying breath. Not to rescue me, I’m not that important to her. Hopefully, she will grow to care for me in time, but right now, there’s one thing I know for certain. Nala would rather die than give up Ellen. No matter how long it takes her, she will come here and so will my squad. Because if there’s one rule we live by, it’s that no one is left behind.