Page 70 of Venomous Heart
“Release me immediately.” Arlen articulated each word. “Or you will regret it.”
“It’s not exactly wise to threaten the man with the gun.” Ben lifted the barrel of his ionic gun casually in Arlen’s direction. The message was clear. Arlen wasn’t in a position to make demands. “You Eoks have a reputation for being feral beasts, to terrify your enemies into defeat even before the beginning of a combat. I’m not sure I see why.”
“Come closer and I’ll show you.” Arlen lifted his lips in a savage grin, but the human wasn’t to be cowed.
“I wanted to tell you myself what will happen to you. You deserve to know the truth.” Ben’s face was sober, without any trace of pity or hatred. It was clear he didn’t take any pleasure in torturing Arlen. That forced Arlen’s respect. “Knut has sent specific instructions for your capture, for the capture of any Eok warriors.”
When Arlen didn’t respond, Ben continued.
“He will send you and your men to the fighting rings on Garatua. You will become gladiators, all of you. I don’t expect you to last more than a year, even with your Eok strength.”
Arlen locked eyes with the human. What he said wasn’t shocking, but it was still a blow. And it was true. None of them would survive more than a few months of being starved and forced to fight in the gladiator rings of Garatua. It was a gruesome prospect, but he didn’t care. What he cared about was Ava.
“What about Ava?” His rage slipped through with Arlen’s words as he glared at the human. “If Knut wants revenge on the Eoks, I can’t imagine he’s going to be forgiving to Ava.”
Ben’s eyes darkened and his mouth twisted grimly. “He wants to send her to Area 45.” He shook his head. “But if it’s going to give you any consolation, I won’t hand over the good doctor to Knut. We have an agreement, she and I. If she saves my son, I will let her leave with the Exo-Heart. A life for a life—or, in her case, two lives for one. If she holds up her end of the bargain, I’ll hold up mine.”
Arlen glared at Ben, but he could see no signs of deceit in the human’s face. Ben was telling the truth. If he was going to die in the gladiator planet’s arena, at least he could die knowing Ava had survived.
“But don’t worry, you will have your wish to get out of here soon enough. He’s coming to collect his prize.”
Arlen squinted at the human male, struggling against the fog of fury that made his thoughts slow. He had to calm down and think if he wanted to get out of this cell and save Ava before it was too late.
“Knut is coming to Aveyn?” Arlen frowned, his thoughts finally becoming clearer. “Are you sure? It’s a big risk with Prime Councilor Aav being here.”
Ben smirked, but there was no humor there. No humor, and no derision either. “Exactly.” He nodded. “He’s going to take the deadliest weapon ever invented right from under her nose. I doubt she’ll have any real power left when he shows the entire Ring that he possesses a negative particle bomb. Prime Councilor Aav will be finished.”
“And Knut will make a move for her seat. He wants to become the Prime Councilor.” Arlen felt suddenly sober. All the rage leached from his mind and he stared with cold lucidity as Ben stared back.
“How could you help him do that? He’s the one who enslaved your entire people, and you will help him become the most powerful male in the entire Ring.”
“What happens to the Ring or anyone living in it is not my responsibility.” Ben shook his head, then glanced at the small portable screen in his hand. “By the time Knut and Aav have finished slashing at each other’s throats, my family and I will be so far gone beyond the frontier of the Ring that no one will ever find us.”
“So, you would betray your people, sell them out to save yourself?” Arlen didn’t hide the contempt in his voice. “You deserve every inch of the pain you will receive.”
Ben turned deadly eyes to Arlen. “They just stood by when Knut took my sisters from me. I owe them nothing.” A noise came from the small screen in his hands and he looked down. He frowned, then looked up sharply at Alfie. “We have a breach in the security perimeter. Go check it out.”
Alfie nodded and turned, probably just too happy to get away from Arlen. Silence invaded the room as Arlen stared at Ben while the human studied his small screen, still frowning.
“Let me guess. The position of the transport you’re tracking hasn’t changed, but you have multiple alerts inside your security perimeter,” Arlen said.
Ben glanced up sharply, then went back to studying his screen. He didn’t answer, but Arlen noticed the slight flicker in his eyes.
“He tricked you.” Arlen straightened, then smelled the air. “Iodine. That means ionic detonations close by.”
“It can’t be.” Ben turned around toward the door, his face a mask of incredulity. “He’s not even close by. I’m tracking each of his transports. He should be hours away.”
“It’s like Ava said. Knut is always a step ahead.”
Ben shot him a fearful glance before running out, his ionic gun drawn in front of him.
Arlen was left alone in the storage room, but it didn’t do him any good. As the sounds of battle reached him, he gripped the Allurium bars of his cell with his fists and thrashed against them with his full strength, but it was no use. He wasn’t getting out of there until someone let him out.
Ava. He had to get back to Ava. If Knut got his hands on her, she would be better off dead. He roared, his rage unbridled against the indifferent metal of the cell.
“Here!” A female voice, hushed and full of fear, attracted his attention. Arlen stared, his eyes fixed on whoever was going to appear down the stairs. A human female, her skin dark and beautiful, rounded the corner as another female followed close by.
A female who made his entire body tense with anticipation.
