“My arm is painful and achy.I have no strength, and I’m getting headaches—blinding flashes of pain at my temples.”
Talon communicated something, and she made a mental note to inquire about his age.
“The wound should not affect your mind.”The insect-man nodded at several comments from his people.“We believe the prince is attempting to break through your mental shields to feed.”
“He what?”
“He and his people must be starving.Let us do this.It will pain you.My people will restrain you to stop you from injuring me.”
“Very well,” Scarlett agreed.
Talon scampered over to her and climbed onto her knee.He placed his clawed hands on her upper chest and hummed.The insect-man barked an order to his people, and two stepped forward.They each grasped an arm, attaching their suction caps for extra strength.Suddenly, fear struck and she struggled to no avail.
“Shut your eyes,” the insect-man said.
Following that instruction was easy.A second later, an agonized scream tore from her throat.A drill-like barb forced through the wound her feline genes had again healed.Tears leaked from her eyes, and she tried to move, but the two insect-men holding her in place were experts at their job.Scarlett bit her lip until she tasted blood.Her feline’s snarl ripped through her mind as the pain increased.The edges of her brain went fuzzy, then the drilling ceased.Scarlett fought to full consciousness before discovering this wasn’t over.A painful suction began, accompanied by slurping.Horror had a scream rippling around them.Her scream.
Darkness claimed her mind again, and this time, she didn’t fight.She greeted the blacklight and the place where nothing hurt.
10.Scarlett Learns A Thing Or Two
WhenRansomstrodeintotheir campsite, Flynt was eating berries.Where he’d discovered them was anyone’s guess.Ransom prayed they didn’t poison the Trolleris kid.Scarlett was asleep when he checked on her, her face a pale round amongst a tangle of black hair.Stealthily, so he didn’t disturb her, he drew away the foil blanket to check her arm.
He drew a sharp breath, the air hissing through his teeth.The puncture marks from the Trolleris’s teeth were still present, but now her arm bore two deep holes.On the plus side, they appeared to act as drainage holes.He could spray an antiseptic inside.He stood to collect his first aid kit.
Flynt’s head jerked up.He raced over to Scarlett and hissed, baring his sharp teeth at Ransom when he attempted to approach.In another sign, Flynt placed his clawed hand over the wound.
Ransom frowned.“I shouldn’t treat her arm?”
Flynt blinked at him.Three times.
“All right.We’ll wait until Scarlett wakes and talk to her.”
But Scarlett didn’t wake.She remained unconscious for the next four cycles.Every time Ransom tried to check her arm, Flynt hissed and growled and bared his teeth.
On the fifth cycle, another one of those ground tremors woke him.Smoke puffed from the distant volcano—the direction Ransom had determined they needed to travel.
He checked on Scarlett.Still sleeping.Her fever had gone, and although Flynt hadn’t allowed him to see her arm, her color seemed better.At first, he’d worried about Prince Kalim.Had he entered Scarlett’s mind?
For once, he welcomed the prince’s visit during the middle of the blacklight.The prince had railed and threatened and fed from him.He sensed the prince’s ravenous hunger.Not for the first time, he wondered if he should turn away and leave the prince to his fate.Yes, he’d die, but the resonance in the mountain range between the prince and Ransom’s people seemed to work in the dragons’ favor.The Maphra hadn’t determined how to break through the resonance they’d made.Instead, they had to rely on capturing the minds of dragons who blundered into the resonance zone.
Ransom sighed.He should rise, add wood to the fire, and make a meal to break their fast.Instead, he slid closer to Scarlett, forcing away worry.He had to assume the wound had healed because, despite not waking, Scarlett seemed better.
“Hmm.”
It took long seconds for Ransom’s beleaguered brain to process the sound hadn’t come from him or from Flynt.“Scarlett?”
“Yeah.”
“How do you feel?”
“I need to pee.”
“Can you make it on your own?”
“Of course, I can,” she retorted.
Her sharp response had him grinning.She was back.
