Chapter 42
The crowd had started to point and shout before the announcer noticed that something was awry. Xivthar followed their gestures with his eyes, taking in the formation of three defense ships and another vessel that was rapidly approaching.
The Earthling ship! His stomach clenched. What was Sylvie's ship doing headed toward the arena?
The hatch opened on the little ship and a figure dove into the waters below. The drop had been dangerous, but there was a chance the jumper might survive.
Might survive, but probably not. Even if the fall hadn't killed him, the gnarsharks that swam in the waters below would.
Executions on Zanthar were performed courtesy of a pool of gnarsharks. These fearsome predators had evolved along with Zantharians, so they'd developed an immunity to high-charge shocks. Therefore the natural Zantharian weapon had no effect on the nasty creatures.
The little Earthling ship was hit with a huge blast that caused it to start wobbling in the sky. Without warning, another figure plummeted from the ship, this one not in a graceful dive, but with limbs flailing. Xivthar thought he heard an agonized shriek, and his heart froze in his chest.
Sylvie?
The second figure hit the water, a little closer than the other one. Xivthar waited, his breath trapped in his chest. After agonizing seconds that felt like hours, a head surfaced. A golden head.
“Sylvie!” he shouted, running headlong toward the water.
“Are you insane?” the Hareema mimic yelled at his back. “You'll be eaten alive!”
Xivthar ignored the creature, and ignored the fact that his hands were bound behind his back. All he could concentrate on was the fact that his beloved might be a gnarshark's next meal. He dove into the water without hesitation.
The pool of cool liquid was deep, the water getting darker the farther it was from sunlight. Xivthar swam hard, kicking his legs to try and move himself upward, but without the use of his hands he wasn't making much headway. Something bumped his leg and he stilled.No.
Glancing up, he realized what had rubbed up against him. The sharks.
They were everywhere, swimming closer and becoming more aggressive in their nudges. Gnarsharks had several rows of sharp, needle-like teeth. Xivthar knew that once he was bitten the first time, a feeding frenzy would begin, meaning he'd be ripped to pieces in mere moments.
He started kicking out at the sharks, trying desperately to move forward. While his kicks were managing to stave off a bite, they weren't getting him any closer to the spot where he'd seen Sylvie surface. He was running out of time, and the frustration was driving him to kick more and more viciously.
He felt a tug on the binding at his back and he turned around, slamming his head into the creature behind him. He'd thought it was a gnarshark, but he realized when his head slammed into a hard skull that it was another Zantharian.
The major, the one who'd disapproved of his spending time with the Earthling female, was trying to undo his restraints.
He must have been the first one to jump from the Earth ship.
Xivthar held still until his restraints were removed. Then he swam like hell for Sylvie.
Before he could reach her, he saw the waters were turning red.Human blood is red, he remembered, and his guts clenched in fear.
He swam through reddening waters until he saw a huge swarm of sharks in front of him.Sylvie's in there. The major swam to his side and gave him a nod. They knew what they had to do.
Xivthar began by grabbing the first gnarshark he could and stabbed his fingers into its gills. The shark flailed, but he worked his hand into the gills on the other side and the shark sped off erratically. He headed for the next one, stabbing at the gills, going for the eyes when he couldn't get to the gills.
He managed to avoid any deep bites, although he was starting to get a collection of tooth scratches when he hadn't been quick enough to keep his limbs entirely out of harm's way. Beside him, the major was doing much the same, fighting his way through the beasts.
Temporarily blinding another shark, Xivthar finally made it close enough to see his mate. The waters were hazy with her blood, but she hadn't given up. As he watched, she punched a shark directly in the nose.
Xivthar took the opportunity to get close enough to grab her. Her eyes widened at the sight of him, but he could tell that she was weakening. His mate needed air.
Signaling to the major to keep fighting, Xivthar struggled to get Sylvie to the surface as quickly as he could. He knew that once there, they would be far from safe, but at least she could breathe.
They surfaced, and Sylvie pulled in great gasps of air.
“You're alive,” she sputtered.
“So are you,” he said with a smile. Having her back in his arms felt like coming home.
