Page 83 of Akur

“I’ve had worse.” He tried to grin, but it turned into a grimace.

“Where are we?” It looked like cells similar to those that had been on that ship. The one she and Meredith had escaped from. But she was sure she couldn’t get out of this the same way she did then. All her cards were played.

But there was no hum of an engine. They weren’t on a ship this time.

Before Akur could respond, a door hissed open. Constance’s shoulders tightened, her heart thudding a little harder as she turned toward the sound. She saw the white robes before the large figure entered. A Tasqal, followed by two guards flanking him on each side. He stopped the moment he noticed she was awake.

“So…you finally join us, human.”

Constance moved up to the barrier, ignoring the warning tingles of energy that ran along her skin. “Let him go.”

The Tasqal merely stared at her, its face unreadable.

“Let him go. You’ve got what you wanted. You’ve got me.”

The Tasqal blinked slowly, its eyes disappearing under its skin. This one had more pustules than she’d seen on any of the others. Almost as if it had an advanced form of whatever disease was plaguing their kind. One pustule at the corner of its eye popped, oozing yellow pus down its nose ridge. “What I want?” It said calmly. “You presume much, human. Your companion refused to provide the information we seek. Perhaps you will be more…cooperative.”

“Don’t tell them anything, Constance,” Akur rasped, chains rattling as he tried to straighten.

The Tasqal raised a hand.

“Yes, High One,” the gator-guard to his right said, right before that same guard pressed a control. Her gaze snapped to Akur a moment before she saw the chains hum with energy, making him jerk and grit his teeth.

“Stop it!” Constance gritted her teeth. “What do you want to know?”

The energy ceased, and the Tasqal stepped closer to her cell, dark eyes reflecting the barrier’s glow. It studied her for a long moment.

“What. Do. You. Want from us?”

The Tasqal hardly moved, just stared at her in a way that made her feel small enough that if the barrier wasn’t there, he would swallow her whole.

“The location of the orb,” it finally said. “Where is the Kyron that retrieved it?”

Her blood ran cold. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, stepping back from the barrier.

“No?” The Tasqal did a clicking sound in its throat. “Then perhaps we should continue our earlier discussion with your comrade. He’s proven quite resilient, but every being has their breaking point.”

“Don’t,” Akur growled. “Constance, whatever happens—”

The chains hummed again, cutting off his words with a choked sound of pain.

“Time is short, human,” the Tasqal said softly. “And my patience wears thin.” The Tasqal motioned again and the chains holding Akur hummed with energy once more. His grunt of pain made her heart shatter.

“Stop! I’ll tell you!”

Fuck, what would she tell them? She didn’t know where Alaina and the cyborg went. She had no idea where they were. But she could lie. She could buy them time…even though that might be useless at this point.

The Tasqal stepped closer, eyes gleaming. “Speak.” A single command that seemed to crackle the air.

“They’re…” she swallowed, taking a deep breath. Come on. Buy some time. “They’re keeping it safe.”

The Tasqal’s eyes narrowed almost unnoticeably. Before she could react, one of the gator-guards at his side stepped forward and thrust one of those energy rods through the bars. It crackled a moment before it reached her belly. The pain was white hot, immediate, and fast.

Her knees buckled as she lost sense of time and space.

The pain. It was unlike anything she’d ever experienced before. As if her skin, muscle and bone were separating cell from cell. The ravaged, torn sound that escaped her lips didn’t even sound like herself.

“Piece of scum!” Akur snarled. “I will tear you apart with my bare hands!”

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