Page 61 of Warrior
Raising the communicator to eye level, I pressed again.
Nothing.
I’d gone too far for the signal to reach.
Holding the communicator in my outstretched hand like a brandished weapon, my feet churned back toward the common area. Like a spasm, my finger clicked the button every few seconds without a response.
Turning the sharp corner that brought me onto the landing above the steps, I skidded to a halt. Three guards stood waiting, eyes widening as they spotted me. The one in front curled his lips away from yellowed teeth.
“I bet this bitch knows where those little bastards went.”
He stepped forward, and I pressed the button one last time.
The blast of wind flung me backward, slamming my body against the stone, debris caught in the wave, peppering my skin.
Don’t pass out.
Easier said than done.
Dust and smoke thickened the air, making it hard to draw breath, and my head throbbed painfully from its connection with the wall. Blackness threatened at the edges of my vision, and only my stubbornness kept unconsciousness at bay.
Don’t pass out.
Thethunkof falling rocks and a weak, painful groan floated in the air. Other than that, all I could hear was the high-pitched whine of my eardrums recovering. There was no movement... no voices. The diversion worked. Daicon and the kids surely had the ship in their possession by now. I had to get to them! Shaking the cobwebs from my head, I pushed to my feet.
Only...
Dust lay so thick in the air that I could only feel the pile of rocks entrapping my lower legs. After a few tugs, I freed my right leg, but while I could wiggle my left without pain, the debris trapped me. With my free foot, I kicked at the rocky snare, loosening a few of the smaller stones, just not enough to gain my freedom.
The deep breath I attempted choked and wheezed, raspy coughs issuing from deep in my chest. This was how people died from smoke inhalation, wasn't it?
Better smoke inhalation than the guards getting their hands on me. At least Daicon and the children were safe.
Please, God, let them be safe.
Let them be safe and happy. Let them have happy lives with people who will love and treat them well, and please, please let them know how much I love each of them.
Especially Daicon.
He would mourn me, and the desire to spare him pain sent a flood of determination through my veins. I slammed the heel of my foot against the rocks, reverberations sending shimmies of pain up both legs. The debris kept me from flexing my foot in order to pull it free. Wasn't there a guy who cut off his hand once to escape a trap like this? I wasn’t that desperate yet, but breaking my foot to get free was something I could survive.
I scooted closer to the rocks, planting one foot on the ground for leverage and wrapping my hands around the bend of my knee. I pulled.
And pulled, and pulled and pulled, grunts of frustration breaking the silence.
“What are you doing?”
I squealed and fell flat on my back. Glancing up, I met Daicon's amused gaze.
“I’m stuck,” I groused, struggling to sit upright.
Daicon knelt beside me, eyes inspecting for injury before settling on the hateful pile of stones that held me fast.
“Is everyone okay?”
“Everyone but you,” he teased.
With a single swipe of his hand, Daicon dismantled my prison, and I yanked my foot free, dirty, but none the worse for wear.
