This can't be how it ends for us. Not after everything we've been through.
Bile burned the back of Midori's throat as resignation set in, leaden and suffocating. She was powerless to stop the chain of events unfolding, a prisoner once more. Jessa's desperation had doomed them both.
The gronklin rumbled to a halt just outside the shattered wall. Jessa gave Midori a rough shove between her shoulder blades, and she tumbled gracelessly from the creature's back. Her knees slammed against the hard ground with jarring force, knocking the breath from her lungs. She gasped for air, struggling to push herself upright. By the time she could, Jessa was gone.
Heavy boots thudded in the dirt in front of her. Midori lifted her head to see two burly blue four-armed guards looming over her. One leveled his blaster rifle at her chest.
"Get up, human," he snarled. "Lord Krissayr will be glad to have you at last."
Midori's heart stuttered as her gaze flew over the compound interior, searching desperately for any sign of Cael. But he was nowhere to be seen amidst the swirling smoke and chaos. What had they done with him? Her stomach roiled with sick dread at the thought of him imprisoned and suffering at the hands of his own people. If she lost him now . . .
The guard seized her arm in a bruising grip and pushed her into the compound's interior. His partner moved behind her, the cold muzzle of his rifle jabbing into the small of her back. Midori stumbled between them, stunned by the rapid turn of events which had ripped her future away in one agonizing moment. She squeezed her eyes shut, a wave of anguish crashing over her. This couldn't be the end.
"Where are you taking me?" She forced the words from her throat.
"The commander will want to see you right away," the guard at her rear said. "I'm sure he's taking care of the traitor right now."
The guards shoved Midori forward, their blaster rifles digging painfully into her back. They marched her deeper into the compound, past rows of uniform buildings and stern-faced sentries. Dread coiled tighter in her gut with every step. At last, they halted before a heavy steel door set into a featureless gray wall. A guard pressed his hand against the palm lock, and the door slid open with a hiss. They pushed Midori through into a dimly lit cell.
The door slammed shut behind her, and Midori was left all alone.
Minutes turned to hours as she waited, paced, screamed and cried alone in the small room. But no one came. Exhausted, she slid down the wall and sat on the floor, hugging her knees to her chest.
What are they doing to him? Is he even still alive?
Fear gripped her, and a familiar pull of falling into a bottomless well of despair threatened to take over her entire body.No. Stop thinking this way. It's not going to help anything. Cael's alive. You know he is.Her heart wanted to believe it, but her mind wasn't so easily convinced.If he's truly gone, you can fall apart then. But for now, you're going to hold yourself together and fight.
A clanging sound echoed through the room, and the door opened.
"Come with us," the voice of a Zyranthian guard ordered.
Midori pushed herself up off the floor and walked into the hall, where two armed guards scowled down at her. One grabbed her arm and led her through the dim halls until they came to a stop at another steel door. He pressed a hand against the palm reader, and the door opened and the guard shoved her inside.
Midori fell to the ground, her hands stinging as they slapped against the cold floor. The door closed behind her with a click.
Midori lifted her head, and her breath hitched in her throat at the sight of the figure chained to the far wall.
"Cael!" She jumped to her feet and ran to where he was chained.
He hung against the wall, suspended from manacles around his four wrists, his feet barely touching the floor. His head lolled forward, lank blue-black hair obscuring his face, and mottled bruises marring his exposed skin. As she took a halting step toward him, he stirred feebly.
"Midori . . . " His voice was a rasping whisper. He lifted his head with obvious effort, revealing one eye swollen shut and a split lip. "I'm . . . sorry."
Anguish ripped through her at his battered state. She opened her mouth, desperate to reassure him, but the cell door groaned open again behind her. Midori whirled to see a powerfully built blue-skinned male stride in, his face twisted in a sneer of contempt.
"Well, well. If it isn't the little human pet my old friend seems to have acquired." His cold eyes raked over Midori in a way which made her flesh crawl. "I can see why he's so enamored."
Cael raised his head higher, surprise flashing in his remaining eye. "Baelor? What are you?—?"
The newcomer's lip curled. "I wouldn't bother trying to appeal to whatever shred of decency you think I have left, Cael. That died a long time ago, when you abandoned me."
Midori stared between them, realization crashing over her like a wave of ice water. Baelor—Cael's oldest friend. The personal guard he'd been searching for. And now . . . his enemy? Baelor turned his attention back to her, his eyes glittering with dark amusement.
"I must say, you've caused me no small amount of trouble these past few days. We knew the escape pod landed up in the mountains, but the blizzards made it impossible to send teams to fetch you. I'm so grateful you eventually found your way to us. I can see why Lord Krissayr wanted you in the first place, and why my friend seems to be so captivated with you as well."
His hand came up, and his thumb traced the curve of her jaw. She flinched away, revolted. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Cael's bound fists clench, his expression murderous.
"Don't touch her," he snarled through a shredded voice.
