“Because he’s a hostage. He’s our ticket to barter our way out of here safely.”
Evie shook her head. “No one is going to take us seriously, even if we have a hostage. We don’t have any weapons.”
Ally bit her lip. “You’re right.” Then she saw the laser pistol at the Raven’s waist. Yanking it out of its holster, she held it up. “We have this.”
Evie let out a gasp. “Be careful with that! You could kill somebody.”
“Only if they refuse to let us go.”
Together, they attempted to drag his form down the corridor. “Ye gods! Why are you so godsdamn heavy?!” Ally put all her weight against the chain to get him to slide forward.
“Must be all the muscles.” Evie giggled.
Ally groaned. “At this rate, we’ll make the bridge by next spring.”
Suddenly, the weight they were tugging refused to be moved. Ally glanced backward and saw that the Raven’s hands were gripping the floor, pushing back against their tugging. “Stop it, little girl,” he said, his voice rough as gravel.
“Pull harder, Evie,” she told her sister, then put all her might into moving him forward. It was to no avail.
He sat up, grabbing the chain and pulling back on it. Ally and Evie both tumbled forward, Ally falling to her knees.
“Playtime is over, ladies.” Slowly, the Raven rose, unraveling the chain from around his legs. “We’re going to the bridge. No more funny business.” Whatever had been affecting him had worn off, and the pirate thought he was back in charge.
The Raven strode forward, using the chain to propel them after him. Ally went limp, using her body as a dead weight, but it did little besides get her dragged several feet.
Turning around with a sigh, the Raven focused his gaze on her. “You will follow me and do what I say.” His gaze shifted to Evie, and he said the same thing.
An inexorable power took hold of her, forcing her steps forward.
“What’s happening?” Evie asked as she fell in step beside her.
“He’s… somehow, he’s making us do this. I’m struggling against it but I can’t stop.”
“Me neither,” Evie said, her tone just as disgruntled.
They turned a corner and met with a group of men dressed in shades of black, one of them familiar.
“There you are, Captain,” the one Ally had seen at the tavern back on Gamma-17 said. “The holds are already half empty.” He looked at the girls and the chain in the Raven’s hand. “Looks like you found something equally precious.”
The Raven nodded. “Finish loading the cargo on our ship, Celdrake. Then bring me Rigellus.”
Celdrake’s eyes widened, but he didn’t argue. “Aye aye, Captain.”
The tall pirate crooked his finger in Ally and Evie’s direction, and Ally felt her body obey, even though her mind screamed at her to fight back.What is this power he has over me?
They made it through the locks between the vessels and entered the other ship. It was much different than the interior of Rigellus’s ship. More functional. Sleeker. She and Evie followed the captain as he entered a chamber with shelves packed with endless random items. He dug through a container, coming out with a pair of laser snips.
Grabbing Ally’s wrist, he cut the cuff off of her, then did the same with Evie. Ally, shocked, rubbed her wrists.Why would he cut us free?
“Follow me,” he said, not waiting to see if they did, but that same inescapable pull took hold of her and she was forced to follow, as was her sister. Ally watched carefully as they walked, trying to memorize the path for the moment they could flee.
The Raven walked through a doorway, the top of his head narrowly missing the frame. Ally followed, her sister behind her. Scanning the room quickly, she realized they were on the bridge of the ship. It was dominated by a large viewscreen, and several consoles dotted the landscape.
“Connect me to Rigellus’s ship,” the Raven ordered, coming to a stop in front of the viewscreen.
The screen burst into life, the image of the interior of the other vessel’s bridge appearing. Rigellus sat in a large chair,three men in red arranged around him. The one the Raven called Celdrake was giving orders. “I told you to get him out of the damn chair.”
The men attempted to lift Rigellus’s bulk, the man groaning as he struggled to maintain his seat.
