He handed Gwen her clothes and turned to block the reiver’s sight of her dressing.
“What do you want?”Ellard asked, going on the attack.Anything to distract him from Gwen.
“Chieftain say he hear from king.Willing to pay reward for your safe return.Both of you.”This Scothage male possessed a tall and rangy build.His plaid shirt appeared cleaner, although the yellow-and-gray checks made Ellard long for screening glasses.Everyone would see him coming.
“When will the exchange occur?”Gwen asked, ducking from behind him to stand by his side.
“Seven cycles from now.They need time to raise the currency.”
“I see.”Ellard wandered closer to the door and glanced at Leeam and Sheera.“What’s wrong with them?They look ill.”
“They do be lookin’ sick,” the reiver said.Now that he came closer, Ellard saw he wore yellow disks to stretch his lobes.They went well with his protruding ears.“Chieftain be angry if they die.”
Ellard knew a few other beings who would let loose their wrath as well.“Where will the exchange take place?”
“We have to move debris field away from planet.We meet on edge of field.”
Gweneth pressed against his armless side.“You’re responsible for the debris field?”
“Aye.Malasses be clever.He design bubble to trap debris field.”
“Who is Malasses?”Ellard asked.“Have we met him?”
“He be a Kiraxes.Clever.Help us gain power and currency in exchange for catching these two for him.Why he want, don’t know.They weak and puny.”
“It looks as if those bands around their necks are killing them,” Gweneth said.
“Bands stay on,” the reiver said firmly.“Malasses say.”
“When will you hand them over?”Gweneth asked.“It should be soon, before they die.”
“We deliver on Scothage.Go after exchange you.Two cycles, three at most before we hit home.Pity can’t touch you.”He leered at Gweneth.“You be bonny lass.And you be big.Chieftain say give more food.Keep hale and healthy.”After one final pervy glance at Gwen, he pushed two tubes through the grate.He repeated the action, shoving tubes into Sheera and Leeam’s cell before disappearing.His footsteps faded, and Ellard heard the slam of a door.
“They look terrible,” Gweneth whispered.“At this rate, they’ll die before someone can rescue us.If they knew enough to capture Leeam and Sheera, why don’t they know how to feed them?”
“My guess would be this Malasses wanted to keep the price low, so he withheld information.He wouldn’t want to share their powers or drive up the price for the abductions.”Ellard hated seeing the couple like this.In the short time they’d known them, he’d become fond of them.
“We’re okay,” Leeam said and bounded to his feet.“Thank you for feeding us.I was starving.”
The tension bled from Ellard when Sheera also stood, looking healthier and more robust.
“Careful,” Ellard warned.“Stay down.They might have visual security.”
Leeam gave a swift nod and subsided in a boneless heap to the floor.
“Have you heard of this Malasses?”Gweneth asked.
“Yes.”Leeam sounded grim and much older.“Some of our people used to have a symbiotic relationship with the people of Kiraxes.They withheld food and forced them to do unspeakable things to gain material advantages.Those who could escape did so before the Kiraxes forced these collars on the remaining Incorporeal citizens.We heard they starved to death, rather than agree to follow orders.”
Gweneth frowned.“It sounds as if Malasses wishes to get his hands on that power again.”
“Yes,” Sheera said, and fear shook her slender body.
“The collars keep you bound?”Ellard bent forward to study the lock on the cell door.Maybe he could get it open.Although the ship had some mod-alterations, this part seemed older.
“As long as we wear them, we can’t escape,” Leeam said.“I’ve tried to remove mine, and each time, it burns my palms and around my neck.”His slender fingers lifted the collar, and Gweneth gasped at the vivid blue of his flesh.When he released the collar, his fingers glowed a faint blue, and he flexed them, his expression set in pain.
“How would Malasses know to set a trap in that area?”Ellard asked, trying to understand.“How could he know you and Sheera would be there?”
