It would take a while to get them loose. But I had nothing but time.
I’d barely started when sounds came from beyond the door. Footsteps. Voices growing louder. I went still, letting my hands fall slack behind my back, my eyes half-closing to slits.
The makeshift door scraped open, and two figures entered.
D’tran males. Both of them large, broad-shouldered, with the bronze skin and color-shifting eyes of their species. One carried a small lamp that cast flickering shadows across the stone walls. The other held a bowl of something that smelled like the grain porridge I’d eaten in the communal hall.
“She’s awake,” the one with the lamp said. His voice was deep, authoritative. The one in charge.
“Feed her,” he instructed the other. “We need her healthy.”
The second male crouched down beside me, extending the bowl toward my face. A spoon appeared, laden with thick porridge, pushing toward my lips.
I clamped my mouth shut and turned my head away.
“Come now.” The leader’s tone was almost conversational. “You should eat. But if you don’t want to, that’s your choice.”
I opened my eyes fully and fixed him with a glare. “I’m clearly not being given many of them here.” My voice came out rough, scratchy from the sedative. “Why am I here? What do you want?”
The leader studied me for a moment, his eyes cycling through colors I couldn’t interpret in the dim light. Then he made a gesture, and the other male withdrew, taking the bowl with him.
“My name is Vax,” the leader said, settling into a crouch that brought him closer to my eye level. “And you’re here because circumstances required it.”
“Circumstances.”
“Rezor had me banished to tunnel watch.” There was bitterness in his voice, old resentment that had clearly been festering for some time. “I tried to warn him about you. About all of you. The sky people who fell from the clouds and disrupted everything we’d built. I told him outsiders were a threat, that allowing them to stay would bring ruin upon us. But he didn’t listen.”
“Sounds like a you problem.”
Vax’s eyes flashed with irritation, but he continued. “I accepted my punishment. Hoped to earn my way back into Rezor’s favor through loyal service. But then the big ships came. More sky people. Destrans and humans entering our valley, changing everything.” He shook his head. “That’s when I knew there would be no returning to the life we’d spent so long building. Rezor had chosen his path, and it led away from our traditions, our culture, our way of life.”
The picture was becoming clearer. “So you decided to do something about it.”
“I found others who shared my concerns.” Vax rose to his feet, pacing the small space with restless energy. “D’tran who understood that this intrusion would corrupt us. Ruin us. Turn us into something we were never meant to be.” He stopped, turning to face me. “And then we were contacted by an enemy of the Destrans and humans. One who offered to help us rid the planet of the newcomers.”
What now? This was a new twist. My stomach tightened, though I kept my expression neutral. “In exchange for what?”
“Access to land away from our strongholds. A place to build their own base.” Vax’s voice took on a satisfied tone. “They’ve promised to keep the skies clear of all outsiders once the current delegations are removed. The D’tran will be able to continue living as we always have, untouched by the corruption of other species.”
“And who are these generous benefactors?” I asked, though I already suspected the answer. “Who, exactly, contacted you?”
Vax met my eyes. “They call themselves the Brakken.”
I could have laughed at his gullibility. The probe we’d found. The Brakken symbols. It all connected now, forming a picture that was uglier than I’d feared.
“And what do I have to do with this arrangement?”
“The Brakken leader requested that we acquire a hostage.” Vax shrugged, as if kidnapping were a minor inconvenience rather than an act of war. “You appeared to be the easiest target. The diplomats would have been preferable, but their quarters have significantly more surveillance. Laser monitors on their doors. Extra guards assigned by Rezor himself.” His eyes swept over me dismissively. “Your room was not as closely watched.”
He was right about that. Sophie and Vash had been given priority protection, both because of their official status and because Rezor understood their importance to the diplomatic process. My room and Anker’s had been considered lower risk. We were operatives, after all. Capable of defending ourselves. Apparently not capable enough.
“What do you intend to do with me?” I asked.
“Me? Nothing.” Vax moved toward the door, his companion falling into step behind him. “The Brakken will arrive soon to collect you. You’ll be used as leverage to force the delegations of humans and Destrans to leave the planet. Once they’re gone, the Brakken will establish a blockade to prevent any others from coming.”
“And Rezor?”
“He’ll be removed as leader.” There was satisfaction in Vax’s voice now. “The D’tran need someone who will protect our traditions. Someone who understands that isolation is our greatest strength.” He paused at the door. “I will take his place.”
