Page 54 of Champion
Adtovar gave me a sideways grin that said I was being silly to worry about them and stepped out into the night. Charick lingered, turning back to draw me once again into his arms, pressing his lips against mine one final time before reluctantly following Adtovar out the door.
My heart stuttered as I watched him leave, wondering if the organ would keep up the slow, sorrowful beat until we reunited. Despite being only a few minutes, I could feel the weight of separation already settling heavily in my chest, like an anchor dragging me down toward the depths.
I went to bolt the door but stalled, letting my eyes follow Charick’s figure as he disappeared around the corner. The last time he walked away from me like this, he nearly died. But this time, we were in control.
At least I hoped we were.
Chapter 17 – Charick
The smoke bombs—little leather-wrapped orbs containing ingredients Kariosak pilfered from the kitchen stores and powdered Zarpazian scales—worked like a charm. The three Aljani guards monitoring the gate were rendered unconscious by the time they realized the strange smoke billowing about their heads wasn’t an errant fog.
I struggled to make my feet move past the gate, to make myself walk away from my mate and leave her safety to others. Logically, I knew Willa was right. I had to get a message to theBardaga, or the arrival of the Kerzak would mean certain slaughter. Logically, I realized that as long as Nansar thought Willa was the Zarpazian in disguise, she would be safe. Unfortunately, logic did nothing to relieve the worried ache residing in the center of my chest.
Adtovar and I walked into the desert, our pilfered Aljani uniforms camouflage enough to fool any enemy eyes alert at this hour of the night. Xabat and Rickon would remain by the gate until Adtovar returned, while Cristox and Zahavi had the care and protection of my mate.
The skiff was not far from the arena, no more than a thousand meters. A purposeful landing with my intent to be captured. It sat where I left it, a dark, hulking spot in the landscape.
“Fast ship?” Adtovar asked as the gleaming silver hull of the skiff came into focus unfettered by the night.
“Fast enough,” I grunted, reaching to let my fingertips trail along the sleek metal. A fine layer of dust covered the skiff, a sign no one had been here in a while. I still nursed the screaming desire to go back, grab Willa, bring her to the skiff, and take her to theBardaga—Nansar be damned.
At my side, Adtovar turned in a slow circle, surveying the landscape. “Whoever Nansar sends should come from that direction.” He pointed toward a spot on the horizon where a small yellow light wavered at the north end of the pit.
“I thought the arena had only one exit.” The area where Adtovar pointed was several hundred meters away from where we’d left the three guards unconscious.
The Aljani issued a disgusted snort. “Do you think Nansar would leave himself only one means of escape?”
I answered his question with a repulsed snort of my own.
We settled to wait at the back of the skiff, hidden in the deep shadows caused by the tail and rudders. The desert night was cool. A faint breeze stirring the sand at our feet, held the scent of the desert, earthy and arid. Despite my distaste for wearing it, I found myself grateful for the extra coverage of the Aljani uniform.
We didn’t have to wait long.
The guard first appeared as a slow-moving blob in the distance. As he drew closer, I could discern his meandering step, the toe of his boots kicking up puffs of red dust that swirled in the air and dimmed the small light he carried. I recognized this guard. He wasn’t one I’d consider particularly skilled. No, Nansar picked this male because he was expendable.
He walked past where Adtovar and I crouched in the shadows without the slightest inkling of our presence.
It was too easy.
Adtovar slipped behind the male, placing him in a choke hold that brought unconsciousness in minutes. We carried him inside, binding his hands and feet and dumping him on the floor outside the cockpit.
I checked the controls, and the systems came up easily. Everything seemed in perfect working order. It would be easy to leave orbit and get a message to theBardaga. Yet the idea of leaving my mate on the planet created a hollowness in my gut that rolled and ached.
“How long do you think he’ll be out?” Adtovar frowned impatiently at the guard. “We need to know what Nansar intended for him to do with the skiff.”
“How should I know?” I quipped. “You’re the one that choked him.”
Issuing a grunt of extreme aggravation, Adtovar stalked to the galley cabinet, pulling out a pouch of water that he promptly dumped over the guard’s head. The male came to slowly, sputtering and coughing. His pale eyes found Adtovar first. I could see the wordtraitorforming on his lips until he caught sight of me in his peripheral vision.
“You… you’re dead!” He squawked, wriggling himself into a kneeling position.
“It would seem that the reports of my death have been exaggerated,” I grinned, settling myself calmly in a seat to the male’s left, leaving Adtovar to act as the out-of-control warrior. A technique Willa told us about that she called good cop, bad cop.
Adtovar stopped pacing, flexing his muscles as he leaned over the guard. “What is your mission here?”
Pale blue eyes flickering between Adtovar and me narrowed hatefully. “Fuck you.”
It seemed that my mate’s colorful Earth language was being widely embraced. I bit back a smile, thinking about how Willa would love the news.
