Page 53 of Into Orbit
‘I’ve learned quite a lot since I’ve been here,’ the starling said evenly, ‘which doesn’t give me hope for my eventual release, but I digress. I’ve never paid much attention to the Roth before – rather obvious and distasteful, all thattaking over the universenonsense – but it turns out that Roth society is old-world, with a strict monarchical hierarchy and very few living females. So few females, in fact, that they capture them from elsewhere to … use. The last doctor was trying to give her to the Roth King. For no good reasons, one might assume.’
I looked back at the unconscious human. ‘Why did he tear her skin in this way?’
The starling gritted his teeth. ‘Because she didn’t want to be given to the Roth King, and she tried her best to get away. He bit her to keep her still while he tried to sedate her.’
My nostrils flared; rage burned inside me. ‘Do I need to check for damage elsewhere?’
He shook his head. ‘The Prince himself separated the doctor’s body from its mushy flesh computer before anything further could occur. The doctor deserved no less.’
I gave a soft noise of assent and sprayed my spore solution over her wound, trying not to disturb her. She shivered when I dabbed at it with a wipe, removing traces of dust and sweat. The antibiotic shot was already working; her breathing had evened, and she felt slightly cooler to touch.
‘I can’t use the healing wand on a wound like this, and I don’t think stitches will work,’ I said at last, after examining her torn skin for what felt like hours; I’d only rarely seen something so raw and painful-looking. ‘But I can cover it with a fibre bandage which will promote healing and keep it clean. I’ve got a painkilling solution which will help with both the wound and her fever, but she needs to be awake to take it. Humans react slightly differently to Tirian medicine, and I want to make sure it does what it’s supposed to. I’ll give her another shot of antibiotics in a few hours.’
‘Will she live?’
The deep, gruff voice came from the opposite side to the starling; I turned and stifled a gasp. The wall, it turned out, was of opaque glass, which had now become clear. Behind it I could see a Roth male, complete with pale skin, jet-black eyes, black horns curving backwards from his temples, andmuscles. A whole lot of impressive muscles, draped in the uniform of the Roth imperial forces.
I sat back on my heels. ‘I don’t know,’ I said honestly. ‘She’s improved, but the damage to her organs wasn’t slight.’
The Roth gave a curt nod. ‘She lives, you live,’ he said bluntly. ‘She dies …’ He trailed off, his eyes flicking to the starling. ‘She dies, and all bets are off.’
‘Well then.’ The starling grinned, his eyes glowing. ‘That sounds fair enough, don’t you think, doctor?’ He drew up his legs, linking his arms around them as he studied me. I had the sudden notion that of the two other males, the one in the cell with me was by far the most dangerous. ‘I’ll tell you a secret,’ he whispered loudly. ‘If she dies, the Roth won’t get the chance to kill you.’ His grin widened, and my stomach dropped. ‘I’ll do it myself.’
‘Youneedtosenda rescue team for Willow,’ I snapped. ‘Now.’
The Captain raised an eyebrow. ‘And you need to understand who is in charge here, Maeve McCarthy, and that it is very muchnotyou, even if youarebonded to my daughter.’
‘Then what are you doing for Willow?’
‘Firstly, trying to work out where he is,’ she said calmly. ‘Everything else is rather moot until we know that, don’t you think? The Pod he was taken in has a tracker, but it’s been disabled. More than that, there are no heat signalsanywherenearby. Wherever they’ve taken Willow, they’re cloaked.’
‘Then we need to be looking. We need to be –’
‘Exactly how do you think I became captain of a peacekeeping ship, Maeve?’ she drawled. She sat back in her seat, comfortable in the meticulous green and white of her meeting room, wearing her bark armour like I wore sweatpants. ‘There are four reconnaissance ships out as we speak, sweeping every inch of this Sector for visuals and with radar, the kind of lower-tech searching the Roth can’t cloak from. My engineers are analysing the movement of space junk to see if we can track the Pod’s path, which is a mathematical process so complex it might as well be magic. You’re not only insultingme, you’re insulting my entire crew of highly-trained, highly-experienced peacekeeping soldiers. This isliterallyour job. Is it yours?’
I glowered at her. ‘No, Captain.’
I liked Elswyth’s mothera lot.
She took up a cup of the sickly-sweet tea most Tirians preferred, made from the leaves of a common tree on their home planet. It didn’t do much for me – I was a coffee-as-black-as-my-heart type of woman – but they all drank it because it was chock full of minerals their bodies needed, and it helped with their inner balance, theirelya. I loved to watch Elswyth drink it; she’d start glowing on the first sip, and there was nothing in the entire universe as beautiful as Elswyth when she glowed.
I rubbed my chest as warmth spread through me at the thought.
‘There is something you can do for me.’
I blinked, shaking my head to clear it. ‘What?’
She took a mouthful of her tea then set her cup back down. ‘You can stay calm, Maeve,’ she said gently. ‘At the moment, that’s even more important than trying to find Willow. I’ve seen the Forest. I know Elswyth won’t take her Tirian form. I’ve tried to talk to her, but she’s either not listening, or so deep inside herself that she can’t hear. I know that you and my First Guard are spending every moment with her. I know you only slept two hours last night, and that Ashton hasn’t slept at all. And I know that it’s the two of you stopping the browning from going further. But if Elswyth picks up on your fear, it won’t help her control. Willow isoneTirian in danger. If the Forest continues browning,thousandsof souls on this ship might die.’
‘Willow isn’tjusta single Tirian in danger. He’s –’ I faltered.
Whatwashe?
The Captain gave me a sharp look. ‘I know what he is to you, whether you want to admit it or not,’ she said, ‘andwhat he is to my First Guard.’ She ran a hand through her unbound hair, sighing. ‘Green gods know I’d hoped this would turn out differently. I gave Ashton so many chances to tell me.’
I looked down at my hands. ‘I’ve been thinking about it a lot,’ I admitted. ‘I suspect Ashton was ashamed. He knew what he stood to lose, and he knew that he could damage Willow’s reputation, too. If he loves Willow the way he loves Elswyth, then he’d die before he hurt him. Iknowhe’d die rather than lose Elswyth. He probably thought the risk was too much, and not just to himself. So he said nothing at all, and when I came along, they …’ I trailed off, rubbing my chest again.
‘Silly males,’ the Captain said, shaking her head. ‘The truth might have made their every dream come true, and instead, look where they are. Whereyouare.’
