“Darax always believed there were wormholes. Driok confirmed the Ulep were using them, so Darax was right.” Dante huffs out a lungful of smoke to indicate what he feels about Darax being right. “And Deus, before he lost his mind, had a functioning mapping system. He was adamant it worked.”
I growl under my breath. I guess it takes one insane Sarkarnii to connect with another, and Dante is only half a spine’s width off being the same as Deus in any event. Even if he is mated.
“Deus isn’t here.”
“Do you blame him?”
“No. Darax was outside of his authority when he did what he did with his brother, but no one knows where he is, do they?” I glare at Dante who pays scant attention.
“He’ll be on the other continent. Where his ship crashed. Where else would he go?” Dante says, as if this is information we should all know.
“His ship was intact?”
“It was. And the mapping system was what he took from the Ulep,. That’s what he told me before he went mad.” Dante licks at his claws. “Madder,” he clarifies.
“He certainly was a mad nevver, taking items from the Ulep without informing his fleet admiral.” I growl.
“You said it,my Lord.” Dante drains his goblet of ale wine, picks mine up, and drains that too, fixing me with a gaze which is anything but mad, and yet entirely unhinged.
How is this Sarkarnii the fount of all knowledge? Dante looks into the goblet sadly.
“So, where is this ship?”
Dante shrugs. “He didn’t say, other than it was on the second continent.”
“That’s not exactly helpful.”
“It is not.” Dante rolls himself out of my pit and gets to his feet. “Anyway, if you want a way of findingUrth, finding Deus’s ship is going to be the only way.”
“I can take what I need from the Ulep. Driok will have all they had.”
“All gone. The Ulep destroyed what they thought we might need.” Dante says, edging towards my food dispenser again. “And believe me, Driok is thorough. If it was there, he’d have it.”
Nev the pair of them. Driokisthorough. It’s the reason I give him the jobs I know only he can do. Driok might not be the butcher all say he is, but his ability to carve the flesh from the bone is legendary among those who know what he can do.
So far, he’s done everything I’ve asked and more. But if I am to both take my mate back to her planet and deal with everything which brought us here in the first place, then I’m going to need more than even Driok can conjure up.
Which means, I’m going to have to play Dante’s games.
“So, I’m guessing you know where can I find Deus’s forgotten ship?”
Dante grins. “It all depends on what you have to offer.”
GILLIAN
Istare after Dalox before moving swiftly to the door to lock it as he said I could. Only I can’t work out how to lock it. I stare at it for a while.
After all, what does it matter? If he wanted to do anything to me, he could have done it already, and if he wants to do something later, my ability to fight him off is only going to go so far.
But also, the knot in my stomach, the one I’ve had for I don’t know how long, is gone. It’s as if I trust Dalox.
I trust him to do what he says he’s going to do.
Next to the door which leads back into his rooms, a small box recessed into the wall bleeps at me. I approach with caution, as the scent of food fills the room. It’s a mix of smells, both savory and sweet, and my stomach growls in anticipation.
Peering in, I find a large plate covered in food, all unfamiliar, but it would appear my hunger doesn’t care much about it being all brand-new.
With one eye on the door, I strip off the wet jumpsuit and wrap the warm towel around me instead. It’s large enough it covers everything it needs to conceal and more. Although, given my experience with the blanket thing from the pod, I’m notrelying on it, and I hope the promise of more clothing arrives soon.
