Shadow's Chosen (Dark World Mates Book 3) Page 11

  She didn't know where exactly they were taking her, only that they were going way south, far out from where she needed to go. Between where they were taking her and what they planned to do with her, Elise thought about Nezka and if he was even still alive. She'd seen one of the bombs go off near him just before she herself had been thrown back. That kind of fire would have seared the skin at that range, melted it. Coupled with the tracks breaking apart and the squid monsters waiting below, she couldn't possibly fathom that he had survived. What she felt in that regard, she couldn't really decide. She wasn't relieved or happy, that was certain, and she told herself it was because she had lost her one chance to get to the energy deposit. She had no map now, no weapon, no way to fight them on her own. They weren't taking her to where her people were held, so she could only imagine what they were going to do.

  As a soldier, she'd been trained for torture, so that didn't scare her. If just a mere captive, she knew she could endure. But if they made her a slave...

  A vision of walking out from the jungle flooded her mind. She could still smell the smoke, still see the fires, hear the cries.

  Laughter cut away the memory, and the car veered around a corner, swerving across the pavement. The car picked up speed, flying toward what looked to be a large metal gate. Past it, Elise could make out several wide buildings. More cars came into view, some like that strange dune buggy she'd seen before, others more like racers with low ceilings; a couple were even sleek like the luxury cars back home. All had lights on their frames and underbellies and chrome sidings. It looked like a lot of the parts were stolen; she suspected the nicer cars had been too.

  As they came to the gate, the car halted to an abrupt stop. Guards on the roof noticed them, and one waved as the gate slid open. They flew on through, passing a courtyard with more cars and some motorcycles, into a wide-open garage with, yes, even more cars. People gathered everywhere, more than she had yet to encounter in the undercity. Their clothes were dark, some wearing a rough hide, like leather, others metal plates. A select few wore an emblem on the backs of their jackets—a large thorny plant with jagged teeth for petals and claws for leaves. The drogin howled and barked as they passed, the car making its way to the other end of the garage where a wide door slid open as the car came to a final halt. The four aliens jumped out, and the lizard pulled her from the back, swinging her over his shoulder.

  They swept past the garage door into an equally large building that, from what Elise could tell, had once been a ship hangar. They went around to a long passage on the side of the building, past a pit at the center where ships must have once been stored but was now empty, and then over to the back. The area was dimly lit save for the bright colors of tags and mutant designs covering the walls and floors, the glow assaulting her senses. Elise jerked and squirmed over the lizard's shoulder, and he promptly smacked her ass and thighs hard to make her quit. Elise hollered through her gag, but it came out as nothing more than a strangled, muffled noise. When the lizard finally stopped walking, he dropped her like a sack of clothes, and she hit the ground with a dull thud. When Elise twisted around and peered over, the first thing she saw were two small ships, broken apart and dismantled. Below them, several aliens of various kinds stood around. Between them sat a drogin, probably the ugliest drogin she'd ever seen.

  "What is that?" he sneered, drool clinging to the outer corners of his mouth. He looked like a gnarly bulldog with sagging skin and matted tufts of hair along his skull, his fangs poking out from his bottom lip.

  "Found it crawling out from Moki's tunnels," the lizard said, tapping her side with his boot. "I think it's one of those humans. Heard about em' on the main feeds. Pretty sure it’s a female."

  "Pretty sure?" the ugly drogin growled.

  The lizard tilted its head in a shrug. "A hunch."

  The ugly drogin, which Elise took for the leader of this large pack, eyed Elise with watery gray eyes. "The Red Blades are looking for these from what I'm told." He leaned forward and bared his teeth in an awful grin. "You did good bringing her to us, Ruzi. This is our turf, but those ass-kissing scum-crawlers have acted like the undercity belongs to them. Well, we keep her, and they'll come looking. If they want to buy, they'll have to pay in blood." He gestured for Ruzi to bring her closer. The lizard grabbed Elise's arm and dragged her forward. Elise grimaced through her gag as the drogin's disgusting face came inches to her own, his breath like spoiled meat, making her feel sick. "Besides, I owe the others a little fun." He swiped the gag from her mouth. "You understand me, human?"

  Elise spit the saliva that had built up in her mouth on the ground. "Yes," she said through gritted teeth. "I understand you. Now get your gross face away from mine."

  The drogin looked stunned for a mere second then laughed, his drool spraying on her suit. "Ah, this one has a tough side." His eyes traveled over her body. "She looks like a fighter. You a fighter, human?"

  "I'm a soldier," Elise corrected. "First division. If you let me go now, you won't face repercussions. But if you keep me, I swear to you, other soldiers will come and they will kick the shit out of every single one of you." A small lie—she didn't know if any would come, but she hoped it made him at least marginally concerned.

  The drogin scratched his jaw. "That so?" He looked back at the lizard and his small group. "I want to see her fight. It's been a while since we've had any good fights in the pit, eh?"

  "I'd put in good credits," the lizard replied.

  This was not the reaction she was hoping for.

  "She's not drogin but..." He grabbed her chin and turned her head one way then the other. "She’s not hard on the eyes for an outer species." Elise pulled away in disgust, and he dropped his hand. "Tell you what, girl. You make good in a fight, and you can be one of my prized fighters, make me some decent money. If not, well...you'll just become a prize for those looking for a different sort of fun, eh?" He smiled.

  "Fuck you," Elise whispered in her own tongue.

  "Sounds good." He waved his hand, and Elise felt hands drag her up. She fought them, even getting a punch into one drogin's neck and a kick into a lygin's stomach, but there were too many. They secured her arms quickly, though she continued to struggle. The lizard, Ruzi, circled to her front and kicked her hard in the stomach to make her stop. Elise's legs buckled as she gasped for air.

  "Now, Ruzi, that wasn't necessary," said the lead drogin. "She won't be any good in a fight if she can't stand."

  "Sorry, boss."

  The drogin sighed. "Give her a minute then drop her in. Get the others."

  An alarm went off, and the aliens began to disperse, shouting and howling, "Fight! Fight!"

  People swarmed into the building, taking up every space along the rails looking down into the pit at the center. They clanged their metal arm plates against the metal bars and growled and hissed in excitement. Elise was dragged over to the pit and dropped to her knees at its edge. She looked down and saw the floors were stained with old dried-up blood and possibly piss.

  As she was gaining back her breath, the crowd parted, and a lone female dropped into the pit. A drogin female with spiked, red-tipped hair and a face like a hyena. The woman snarled up at Elise as she flexed her muscular arms.

  Shit.

  At any other time, Elise would have been glad for the challenge. But she had just come out of a terrifying ordeal in the tram tunnels and then been roughed up by these foul low lifes, so she wasn't exactly feeling a hundred percent. But clearly, she had no choice in the matter unless she wanted the alternative of watching someone else fight to have her on her back. And no way was she having that. So, it was to fight and hope she could somehow pull through.

  Elise struggled to her feet and straightened. She took two deep breaths before carefully jumping down into the pit. The crowd jeered and shouted as she placed her back against the pit wall, watching the woman drogin pace before her. Several screens turned on all along the building, bringing up some kind of ranking system and chart. People took
out their Ulinks, and the credits rolled in on the screen as they placed their bets. Two words also popped up bigger than the rest: A name—Shodi—followed underneath by the word human.

  Elise stared up at the screens then, with jaw clenched, turned her eyes back to the drogin. Her hands turned to fists, and she slowly raised them, taking position.

  Just remember your training. They might not be human, but that doesn't mean you can't take them, Elise.

  A buzzer went off, and the drogin female charged her. Elise leaped out of the way just in time for the woman's fist to smash into the wall where she had stood only a mere second before. Elise swerved around and kicked for the woman's head. The drogin blocked her foot with the side of her arm. She struck for Elise again, and Elise ducked. There was a lot of blocking and dodging, Elise focusing on what she felt were the drogin's weak points—their face, neck, and back of legs. The crowd's roar rang in her ears as she jumped away from the woman's strike to land a kick to her chest. The drogin jolted back and bared her teeth in a growl. The hit barely knocked her off balance. Elise could tell she was all brawny strength but not as quick. She charged her blows, hoping one would land and take Elise out. All Elise had to do was make sure they didn't land. She circled the woman, jumping back every time she kicked or jabbed, waiting for another opening. Judging by her mass, Elise could gather she was a heavy gal. And the heavier they were, the harder they fell.

  The drogin swung at her, barely missing her, and Elise took that chance to drop to one knee and kick out the female's legs. The woman landed hard on her back, and in that stunned moment, Elise took her chance and leapt on the woman, catching her in the throat and face. The drogin snapped at her then shoved her off. Elise rolled back and, as the drogin leapt up to charge her, swung out her leg in a high kick, hitting the drogin right in the head. The drogin's legs buckled, and she went down on her face in a clear knockout.

  Elise barely heard the howls of the crowd. She looked up at the screen and saw the woman's name disappear. She smiled and turned her head toward the direction of the pack leader, who sat watching by the edge of the pit. He clapped his hands then made a cutting gesture to the crowd, who turned quiet.

  "Not bad, human," he called down to her. "You managed to take out one of our best trainees."

  Elise frowned. "Trainees?"

  "Unfortunately for you, that was Obel's little sister."

  Elise twisted around and saw, while the drogin she had just won against was being carried out of the pit, another was taking her place. A much bigger, more vicious looking female with two scars across her cheek. She looked pretty pissed.

  "Obel is one of my best fighters," the pack leader continued. "And she'll want you to pay for what you just did. Good luck."

  A buzzer sounded, and Obel snarled. Elise stumbled back as the giant woman came at her with a long stride. Elise dodged her first blow, rolling away, but the woman was on her quick. Elise blocked a heavy swipe and was knocked back against the wall, Obel's arm coming down like a hammer, shaking Elise to her bones. Elise ducked one blow and swerved under to catch her twice in the stomach, but it hardly seemed to faze her. Obel swung out her arm and caught Elise by the shoulder, throwing her across the pit. Elise fell, rolling till she hit the side of the wall with a sharp bang. She rose onto her knees only to be once again picked up and thrown across the other way. This time, Elise dropped on her back, sliding across the ground. Before she could even sit up, the female was on her. She blocked Elise's kicks and pinned her down before swinging out one great hand and smacking Elise right across the face. Elise's lip split and her face went numb as she saw stars. She put up her arms to block her face, and Obel responded by biting. She went for her forearm first, tearing at her suit and cracking her armor. Elise jabbed at her face, cuffing her ears then ramming her knuckles into the drogin's cheekbone. The drogin yelped then turned her head and snapped at Elise's hand. A fang ripped through Elise's glove into the skin, and Elise shouted as the searing pain went down her arm. She clocked Obel hard in the nose to make her back off, and when the female lifted her body, Elise lunged forward and wrapped her arms around the female's throat. Obel bucked, but Elise kept a firm hold. When she thought she might finally have her, the drogin lurched back and crushed Elise against the wall. Elise's grip loosened enough that the drogin twisted out of it then bit Elise on the shoulder, cracking the armor completely and burying her teeth down into Elise's skin. Elise screamed in pain while smashing her palm against Obel's head. Obel backed off and let Elise slide to the ground. Through the pain, she still willed herself to fight. But as Elise threw out her leg to keep the woman away, Obel caught it and tore the armor plate off her thigh, digging her nails deep past the suit into skin then pulling Elise off the ground and swinging her around.

  Obel let go, and Elise went flying. This time, when she hit the wall, she didn't get up.

  ***

  "Well, you gave a good show at least," the pack leader said, his face grinning down at her where she lay. Someone had dragged her out of the pit and dropped her next to the drogin's feet.

  Elise groaned in response, her whole body feeling like it had been smashed and ripped to pieces. Blood trickled down her lip just as it seeped out from her suit where she'd been bitten and scratched. She could feel her cheek beginning to swell and her back ached something awful. She lifted her head for only a moment before dropping it back.

  This was it. She'd fought her best, but she'd lost. She would be a prisoner of this gang until they decided to kill her or sell her to those willing to pay. She'd never find her team. They would be lost and so would the others they had come so far to save. Elise felt no tears coming, but she felt her heart sink into her stomach. She watched the others laughing, the crowd now fixated on a different fight down in the pit below. She closed her eyes and slipped away for what she thought was only a few seconds until she opened her eyes and found the crowd dispersing and heard the roars of engines starting. Night was in full swing, and the pack was off in their cars to cause more havoc on the city streets.

  A boot nudged at her back. "Take her into one of the empty rooms."

  Elise was pulled up and carried off, first out of the building to the one across from it then into a dark corridor of rooms (offices probably at one point) and dropped into an empty one where the door slammed shut, locking her in darkness.

  She lay there in the now quiet, her ears ringing, mouth dry save for the taste of blood. She really needed to check her wounds and stop the bleeding, but she couldn't bring herself to rise. She closed her eyes instead, letting herself fall asleep.

  She was woken up by a pair of hands grabbing at her and the sound of quiet hissing voices. She didn't open her eyes despite how rough the hands moved her. She felt her suit being unclasped from the back and pulled off her shoulders. Cold water cut into her skin as someone wiped at her wound. They muttered something, and she felt a dabbing cold at her thigh. They were treating her wounds only so that she didn't die from them but nothing more. They splashed water on her face then closed the door behind them. Elise licked the drops of water from her lips then laid back down and somehow managed to fall back asleep.

  Light spilled from the door, this time waking her up with a start, her eyes shooting open, her hands grabbing for a weapon that wasn't there.

  "Rise and shine," came a familiar voice. Ruzi.

  She was pulled up, forced to her feet as the lizard dragged her from the room and down the corridor. As they went back across to the building where she'd gotten her ass handed to her, Elise lifted her head and saw the light above was dim, what she presumed to be early morning.

  The building was empty as Ruzi tied Elise to one of the rails along the edge of the pit then left her. She didn't know how long she sat there, maybe hours. At one point, he returned to let her go to the bathroom then allowed her a sip of water before tying her back up. She tried to work at the bindings, but they were metal coil cinched tight against her skin. She started to shout then to scream for someone to co
me, to give her some more water if not maybe even food, but no one came. She heard the cars coming and going throughout the day, heard people, but no one entered the building to check on her. She spent most of the day staring at the ships at the back of the room, wishing they weren't stripped of parts, wishing they worked.

  When night finally came, the pack leader returned with his group. She was untied from the rail and placed next to him as his people gathered once more into the building.

  "Since this human has proven unworthy in the pit, maybe she will be worthy in someone's bunk," he said to the crowd. They laughed, and Elise caught more than a few eyes looking her way, looking a little too hungry for her liking. "All bets are off," the leader announced. "The prize is before me. The match will be a free for all. All those wishing to participate, enter the pit now."

  Elise watched with sickening despair as several men and a few women (including Obel, to her surprise) dropped down into the pit. Most were drogin with a smattering of lizards and lygin, all huge and bulky in size, even the women.