Page 77 of Chained

“Got to start somewhere.”

He pulls in air over his tongue, eyes not leaving mine. This is the moment. I’ve thrown us all under the bus…or I haven’t.

“That’s insane…” he says. “It’s so insane it has to be true.” His hand curls around mine. “I’m Dirk,” he says enthusiastically, wriggling his fingers, and I’m guessing it’s a greeting.

“Hi, Dirk. I’m Cleo. I’m a human. My mate is Maxym, the Gryn, and Retah is the Remek. He’s my employer.” I feel a weight lift as the words escape my lips.

“You have aGryn?” Dirk gasps.

I’m beginning to feel like this is going to be a long process.

“Is that a problem?”

“I was given another Gryn earlier. When we first arrived. He did this.” Dirk rolls his sleeve up and what was clearly a very nasty injury, now mostly healed to pink skin, is visible. “The Bogarok took him away.” He shudders.

“That was probably Klynn.” I make a mental note to let Maxym know the other gladiator is still here and was seen alive. “Not all Gryn are as dangerous.”

“I’ve met the Gryn. None were as feral as that one,” Dirk grumbles.

“You’ve met them?”

“My species, Kijg, were originally from Ustokos, the Gryn home world. I have returned occasionally.”

I shake my head. “Maxym doesn’t know much about his planet, if he has ever even been there. Him and his fellow gladiators all had their memories wiped.”

Dirk makes a snarling, snorting noise. “Drahon,” he adds. “They were responsible for most of the trafficking of species in and around the galaxy. Some say they still are, even if the Galactic Council confined them to their planet.”

For a second, I wonder about telling Dirk our mission, but even if he does seem to be friend not foe, I’m not sure I can risk him having any more information.

Although what he said is starting to make things crystallize in my mind. The Galactic Council, the supposed species-non-grata in the Drahon, but who are still around, the Bogarok and the shadow Varangy. It’s all starting to add up to something highlyunpleasant and which goes beyond anything I think any of us have imagined. And it all leads back to one creature, the Protoex.

“I don’t know about the Drahon, but I do know I need to find Maxym and do what we need to do,” I say instead.

My theories will have to wait until we’re all back together.

Dirk strokes his chin. “I can tell Szek you have a virus. It’ll buy you some time to find him.”

“What about you?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re coming with us, surely?”

He looks at me, half alarmed, half grateful. “My family…they have my wife and my daughter.”

“Here?” I ask.

He nods, eyes filled with despair. “In one of the motherships.”

“Then we’ll find them too,” I say with an air of confidence I’m really not sure I have. “And we’ll all get out together.”

At that moment, the door explodes inwards, and through the choking dust, I see a large shadow.

“Szek!” Dirk gasps, eyes swiveling to me. “It’s too late!”

MAXYM

I might not be able to use the thoughtbond, but I can use all my other senses, and when I scent my Cleo, nothing is going to stop me. Not the Habosu guard, nor the locked door.

---