Rune pounds his fists on the glass and shouts my name. His movements are quick and frenzied.
Pious steps back, letting me go. A handful of my hair falls softly from his fingers and lands across the pale skin of my legs. He rubs his hands together, brushing the last few strands off, and casually circles me.
Fear creeps up in a string of sweat along my brow and curdles my stomach.
“My pretty little pet,” Pious murmurs. His smile widens slowly until a mouthful of razor-edged steel teeth is all I see.
Scrambling on my hands and knees, I crawl frantically, pressing into the giant window that Rune watches from.
He’s beside himself with rage. His arms and hands are shaking violently; the muscles in his neck and arms strain and pop against his skin. I can hear his guttural roars and feel the slam of his fists reverberate along the glass.
But standing over me, Pious laughs. A dark, ugly cackle that I know seals my fate.
“Pious, no!” Rune cries, falling to his knees.
Why would he fall to his knees?
Get up! Get up, Asshole!I scream in my head. “Get up!” I sob, breaking down.
Rune stills, his jaw clenched tight. He’s still on his knees, red bloodied palms flat against the glass. “I’ll come for you. I swear,” he says, in a barely audible grunt. “Pious,” his eyes dart up to the monster beside me, “I’m going to kill you.”
The ground trembles below me and suddenly, the entire room seems to lift up. Rune stumbles back, eyes wide, mouth screaming words I can no longer hear.
The room rises higher off the ground and the window view becomes bigger. I think I see Claire and my father through the smudges of Rune’s blood smeared across the glass. They’re shielding their eyes from the wind.He saved her! I think it’s her, it has to be! I swallow back a gasp and nod. Everything will be okay now. I can deal with anything after this. Claire is safe. My father is safe.
Higher and higher we get until Rune is nothing but a small speck on a ruined ground. My eyes stay focused on him and when they finally lift, I struggle to breathe because the horizon straight ahead is nothing but smoke and ash.
We’re airborne. Drifting over what’s left of my planet, my home.
“Where are you taking me?” I ask through gritted teeth.
Gears move and shift on his faceplate and what seems to be a smile slashes drastically across his face. Behind us, the blue sky blurs from light to dark and stars sparkle and glitter across the vastness of it. He points out across the glass and taps a finger against it. “There,” he says, chuckling. “Your new home.”
