Page 84 of Taming Chaos

Better to conserve her energy.

You’d better fucking hurry, Torin.

The only thing keeping her remotely sane right now was the belief that Torin was going to burst through that goddamn door at any moment and save her ass.

Maybe she could buy herself some time and delay whatever it was that these Bartharrans wanted to prepare for.

The chanting intensified.

Someone produced a set of drums and started beating a slow, pounding rhythm.

Drums? On a fucking pirate ship? I must be hallucinating.

At last, the Bartharrans lowered her, and Seph’s back pressed against something impossibly soft.

Soft?

A nest of velvety blue cushions surrounded her. She was on a long, narrow table, or altar, or whatever.

Now! Before the Bartharrans could do anything else to her, she rolled to one side, and…

Thud! She dropped to the floor, pain shooting through her side. Seph scrambled to her knees and crawled between the legs of a surprised Bartharran, heading for the exit.

Just draw this out as long as you possibly can. That’s all you can do.

Seriously, what the hell was she even doing? She didn’t know anymore. The behavior of these Bartharrans was too confusing, too chilling. All she knew was that she wanted to escape; she wanted to find Torin.

He was the only person in the Universe who could make her feel safe.

Predictably, one of the Bartharrans grabbed her around her waist and hauled her up. “Obog!” He growled, lifting her up and slamming her back down on the table. Seph was grateful for the soft cushions that broke her fall, but they didn’t stop the jarring sensation that hit her in the spine.

The Bartharran’s rough treatment earned him a scolding from the boss, who stroked her hair. “I am sorry, Blessed One. Our time is running out.”

Seph shuddered.

Quickly, the Bartharrans got to work, tying her hands together above her head with a strip of red fabric. They did the same with her ankles. Wide straps crossed over her legs, stomach, and arms, binding her to the table.

“Why are you doing this?” Seph asked again, blinking the tears from her eyes. She would not break down here.

Torin is coming.

Torin is coming!

“Poor Salu. You have been away from the astral plane for too long. You have forgotten.”

“Forgotten what?”

“That Amanhiel follows you wherever you go, and now he has drawn them here.”

“Who?”

“The Plutharans. Our distant cousins. Our most hated enemies. Amanhiel is the god of war and chaos, and he has brought destruction to our people and our planet for far too long. Once you return to the stars, he will follow you, and we will have peace.”

“The Kordolians brought war to your planet,” Seph said gently. “Not this god of chaos.” Which was ironic, because Torin was a Kordolian, and as far as she knew, he’d spent time on Bartharra, doing… bad things. So technically, he had brought war to their planet.

“Oh, but he has. When he walks among us, death always follows. See how he has drawn these Plutharan scum and killed hundreds of our brothers on this ship. You need to go back, Blessed One.” There was that look in his eyes again; they glazed over, becoming scarily blank. “That is the only way we will get rid of him.”

“No it isn’t,” she protested. “He’ll kill all of you if anything happens to me.”

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