Dark's Savior (Dark World Mates Book 2) Page 3

  "They said she would be joining us." Jamie's voice rose a little. She gripped her knees tightly. "Th-they said..."

  Julian nodded. "I know. I will try to talk to them, I swear it."

  Aly couldn't help looking away also. None would say it, but she knew they were thinking it. Sarah might never join them. Like with the ship and the high transmitter, they may never let them see her. They still had no knowledge of why the facility was keeping her and they feared to ask. Just like they had been afraid to ask why they had taken their DNA.

  "That's all me and Julian have for you tonight," Kate said, looking at each of them. "Is there anything you guys would like to add? Anything you've heard or seen and would like us to know?"

  This was the part, Aly guessed, when she should tell them she had run into the nillium from below. But she kept silent. Something told her the encounter she had was such a rare experience, it probably shouldn't even have happened. No one used the stairs and old bridges, especially not her team. And she had a feeling the nillium didn't care to be seen.

  It occurred to her, in fact, that she should never have seen him herself. But she had. Because he had let her see him. That thought scared her some. Why did he let her see him? And what brought him to want to get near her? Everything she had ever heard about him made him sound more like a scary legend than a person. He was rarely seen— he didn’t go near people. He stayed in the dark.

  Aly's thoughts were cut yet again when everyone began to leave, and she felt a hand land on her shoulder.

  "You okay?" Mark said beside her. "You seem more quiet than usual."

  Aly smiled. "I'm okay. Just been a long day."

  "As they all are now. Literally." Mark stood up and offered his hand. Aly took it, letting him lift her up beside him. "You want me to walk you back?"

  Aly was seriously considering it. But then she remembered the chances of actually running into the nillium again were probably zero. Still, she shivered.

  "I think I'll be okay, thanks," Aly said. "Are you working the lower tunnels again? Find anything?"

  Mark shook his head. "Saw a few oriens dig out a good chunk of tython, and of course, there is always aulion, but that's always easy to find. Nothing rare, though they always say the hard to find stuff is deeper."

  Aly nodded her head understanding. "I'd say I envy you but, really, I don't."

  "I knew I should have been a mechanic instead." Mark laughed. "Fixing bots all day doesn't sound so bad."

  Aly shrugged. "At least you get to interact with others."

  Mark frowned. "Things here are different...I think our mission at this point is at a stand-still."

  Aly had nothing to say to that, though she didn't necessarily agree. Once again, her mind brought up the image of the nillium standing before her on the bridge. It was the first time, she realized, anyone other than a human had interacted with her. How strange it was that it should be the one who seemed to avoid people the most.

  "Well, see you around then," Mark said.

  Aly smiled again and he left. She walked out of the old station and looked around the dark cavern. She couldn't see the sky, but she guessed, by now, the moon was gone, covered by clouds. Even so, she was thankful for the moment she had gotten.

  Because tomorrow, she was sure, would be just another rainy day.

  Chapter Three

  Ryziel felt like his insides were turning and twisting, his heart thumping heavily against his chest. He crouched in the dark for some time, afraid he was slipping. That he was frenzying. That he was in his Drega's hold.

  He hadn't had an episode in so long he had forgotten what it felt like. In fact, it didn't feel the same at all. When his Drega side came out, when his beast-like tendencies took hold, they were violent. Primal. There was no sense of self, just the need for blood and the thralls of rage. But, as he sat there taking deep long breaths, he didn't feel these things at all. He felt something else altogether. And it scared him.

  That...female—whatever she was as he'd never seen the likes of her before but knew by her scent and her form that she was indeed female—had brought out his Drega side. No one had been able to do that by just sight or touch alone. No one.

  Yet, she had. And, as he sat there in the dark and his mind and senses started returning to him, he could finally understand. It wasn't rage or a hunger for violence that had taken him. It was something more instinctual. Something he hadn't felt for many years and nothing as strong.

  He didn't want to break her or kill her. He wanted to...

  Ryziel growled, and his insides spasmed again. He bared his teeth and clenched his hands tight, his body shaking. He could feel his receptors vibrating.

  That one little touch, that light brush of skin, and he had almost faded out completely. If he hadn't ripped himself away and blindly fled into the dark, who knows what he might have done?

  His stomach turned at the thought, and he clutched his sides with a groan. Slowly, he stood back up and closed his eyes, taking another long breath.

  The image of her standing there was still clear to him even now. The moon cast its light over her reddish-gold hair, blue eyes looking up in sheer wonder, pale face shining from the droplets of water, giving her almost a strange glow. Then her small delicate hands lifting the floater and letting it go and her breath of surprise at seeing him.

  Even he was shocked that he had allowed himself to be seen by her, like he hadn't realized he had stepped so close. It was her scent he had caught first. A scent he didn't recognize but had drawn him away all the same. Then his receptors had begun to vibrate along his head, like a blasting signal trailing a strong beacon. Once he had come up the stairway and onto the bridge, he had halted and gone completely still. Once he saw her, his sixth sense had gone wild. The confusion and shock were understandable. Why was his body reacting to this person? This female who was not nillium.

  Once the shock had faded somewhat, curiosity had taken its turn. He wanted to make sure she wasn't some strange hallucination. In the light of the moon and misty air, she had seemed otherworldly. Perhaps he would have even mistaken her in that moment for a lightbringer or one of Nihl's guardians. But that was clearly absurd. Because, again, his logic brought him sense. She was not nillium, so that was impossible.

  Still, he felt a need to touch. A very strong need. And he never cared to touch anyone, so this was definitely another shock. Never would he have considered going up to some random person—one whose race he couldn't even identify—and demanding to touch them. It was unthinkable. But the feeling couldn't be helped. Not in that moment.

  He had hesitated twice, fighting the urge. He had smelled her fear wafting alongside her scent, but her fear could barely hold him.

  When she had closed her eyes and closed the distance between them, in that one second of contact, his Drega had torn its way to the surface, like a beast thrashing to get out.

  And so, he had fled.

  He didn't know how long he had been hiding now, but he had to go. He had to get back to the lair. But first, he needed the tools. And now, a quick, serious talk with Braxin.

  As he pulled himself away from the rocky wall, his techband went off. Taking one last deep breath to compose himself, he took the call.

  "Did you die?" was Nar's hello as his face was brought up before him.

  "I'm not sure," was Ryziel's reply.

  There was silence and Nar's little urk face—beady black eyes with sharp features— actually looked surprised. "What happened?" he asked.

  "It was..." Ryziel didn't know if he even wanted to tell him. Not in detail. "I had a lapse in control."

  "Nihl's hide," Nar muttered. "What set you off? Did someone get in your way?"

  "Not...exactly." He really didn't want to talk about this now. "I'll tell you about it later. I still need to get the tools." He ended the call and stood straight. He began to climb the stairs again, the energy in him depleted.

  ***

  Braxin was waiting for him on a wide balcony overlook
ing a large silion-made waterway, the pool descending into small waterfalls, turning through more pools, cascading all the way down the side of the cave face, and disappearing into the dark below.

  He didn't see Ryziel at first, as most usually didn't. And when he did, he flinched, as most usually did.

  "Nihl Ryziel," he said and bowed his head slightly, his eyes shifting around, making sure no one watched.

  Even though he had been exiled by his father and uncle and sent to Lethe Maws, he was still treated with the same anxious civility and respect given to all nillium. Though Braxin's nostrils flared in irritation, even he understood a shunned nillium was still nillium.

  "Forgive me for not being at my unit. The cargo..."

  "Forget it. Do you have what I need?"

  Braxin brought out the two menders and drill along with replacement parts. Ryziel took them and latched them to his own belt. "There is another thing I want," Ryziel said. Braxin's mouth twitched in a frown but he remained silent. "I want to know about the newcomers to Lethe."

  Braxin's furry brows rose. "Newcomers?"

  "The new race. One not seen in the Xolis system."

  Braxin's eyes widened in surprise. "You mean the humans? They arrived many weeks ago."

  "Where did they come from?"

  Braxin blinked at him, likely curious as to why he wanted to know. Ryziel didn't care what he thought.

  "They...they were rescued by Marzin, found near the border of the Xolis realm, near the blue worlds," Braxin began. "They had been taken by traders to be sold in the shadow market. Marzin brought them to the Xolis Council, and for many months, they were housed on Yilsand in one of their refugee facilities. They got the usual treatment, were taught what little they needed to know, learned to speak Xolien, and then were placed here...for the time being."

  "Did anyone find out where the traders got them?" Ryziel could only guess some primitive world, as was the usual case but, still, he was curious.

  Braxin shifted where he stood. "They say they caught them on some planet way out of the boundaries of the realm. But it was mentioned that they had a ship. Some of the parts, the traders collected and were confiscated by enforcers. That is all I really know."

  Ryziel's eyes narrowed. "How many humans were taken?"

  "Only nine. Eight now brought here."

  "Were you given their records?"

  Braxin seemed to hesitate then. "Yes, but only the most basic information."

  "Send it to me. All of it," Ryziel ordered. "I want it before I make it back down."

  Braxin stiffened, and he could tell the lygin wanted to protest. Only no one challenged a nillium's command.

  "Very well," Braxin said, a soft growl catching in his throat.

  Ryziel said no more and left him there. The clouds were rolling back, and the moon was gone before he made it back to the stairs and disappeared.

  ***

  The great metal door rose. and Ryziel entered into a large chamber warmly lit by several floating lanterns hanging above. He stopped just past the door and waited as it slid closed. Ahead, in the very center, was the ship, black and silver metal shining dulling from the beams of dim white light casting down on it from above. The light reflected murky daylight, though it was artificial in itself, created by floodlights around the opening of the ceiling and a little way into the tunnel itself, which stretched several miles up to the surface.

  A loud clang followed by a muttered curse sounded near the ship's side, and a tiny face peaked out over the metal wing.

  "Great—you’re back," said Nar. His head disappeared, and there were a few more clangs and shuffling noises before he reappeared on top of the ship. The little urk crouched and bent his head down to stare at Ryziel, his black, pupil-less eyes blinking at him curiously. "You look like you want to end a life," he said after observing him carefully.

  Ryziel clenched his fists and unclenched them. His Drega was finally starting to settle away but he still felt on edge. 'Not exactly that,' he thought but said nothing to Nar. Instead, he turned toward the inner wall to the right where a large console station sat. He touched at the surface and the console lit up, displaying a holographic screen before him. He touched his techband to the console, connecting to the program. Braxin had sent the records right away like he asked. Ryziel transferred the records to the console, and a set of nine images were displayed before him.

  "Soooo...you gonna tell me what happened?" Nar said behind him.

  Ryziel swallowed hard. He didn't look at Nar as he said, "It's complicated."

  "Complicated how?"

  Ryziel searched the images before him until he found the girl from the bridge. He stared at her picture.

  "Uh, hello? Ryz, are you hearing me or what?"

  Ryziel's eyes didn't leave the image. His Drega didn't come back, thank Nihl, but he felt the stirrings of curiosity. His eyes finally shot over to the other faces, wondering.

  "Who or what are those?" Nar asked beside him.

  "Humans," Ryziel said.

  Nar let out a little grunt. "They are an odd-looking sort. Always something new around here." Nar went silent for a moment when Ryziel didn't respond. "Why are you looking them up? They a threat or something?"

  Ryziel let out a hiss of breath, a near laugh. "Honestly, I'm not sure."

  He could almost feel Nar's wide eyes on him. "Seriously?" Nar said with unhidden surprise. "They look pretty unthreatening if you ask me," he muttered.

  Ryziel's eyes narrowed back on the girl from the bridge. It was true. There was nothing about them that seemed threatening, nothing that should have set him off. Though, again, he reminded himself that the feeling hadn't been normal.

  He tapped on the image of the girl, bringing her picture to the forefront. Beside her headshot, a short description and set of information was displayed.

  Aly Smith

  Human

  Age: 24

  Physical: gold-red hair along head, blue-green eyes, pale, soft-skinned, small

  Home planet: Earth

  Job Skill: Mechanic

  Background: Found by Xolis enforcers, led by Captain Marzin, on tradeship, being transported to [undisclosed]. Brought to Yilsand for rehabilitation and integration into Xolis system.

  Threat: low

  All Vaccines given. No known illnesses.

  Testing still underway

  Nothing seemed unusual. It was known that all outsiders went through the integration program. Only that they were still testing might have seemed strange, given that the humans were off the program for the most part, but he knew nothing of the silion scientists' tests and what they entailed, so it could mean nothing. There was nothing that really gave anything away. All this information seemed to do was make Ryziel more curious. He wanted to know more.

  Ryziel looked back at the ship and frowned. This wasn't the time to be curious about some other race just because one encounter had sparked the beast in him. He needed to focus on the ship. He needed to focus on getting home.

  'Always so impatient to get the job done,' a ghost of his brother's voice laughed in his ear.

  'You'll get it done, Ryziel. You have time,' he said to himself. 'One more visit up to the surface won't hurt. Just sate your curiosity now and be done with it. Xilya will be back soon with the information you need, and you can put this strange encounter behind you and focus on what matters.'

  With that, Ryziel tapped the image of the girl away and swiped the group off the console.

  A message came through and popped up before him. Xilya was on her way back.

  "I'm going to the upper levels again tomorrow," Ryziel said.

  "What for?" Nar asked.

  "Just...personal reasons. I'll tell Xilya to meet me somewhere and get what I need from her. Then I'll be back. Be sure to have the tracer ready. Once I have what I need, we start searching and drilling again.

  Nar made a little noise. "It is, don't worry. You just take care of yourself, heh? Don't lose yourself again."

 
Lose himself again. No, they couldn't have that. Ryziel closed his eyes and remembered moments on Nihl.

  "Don't worry," he said and left the console. It wasn't the first time, and, as he thought of the girl again, he feared it wouldn't be the last.

  Chapter Four

  Aly sat within the crevice of a rock, crouching over her small sketchbook, carefully shading and outlining the beginnings of a face and upper body. There was very little light coming down, per usual—just a dull grayish-blue tint that barely pricked the darkness. She angled the light around her neck downward to see her creation more clearly. The face wasn't perfect, and she wasn't sure she had his horns right. She wasn't even sure if they were horns. Maybe antenna? The eyes were off also, but it wasn't like she could possibly remember every detail in the dark, though she tried.

  She closed her eyes and tried to remember more clearly. His face was angular, with large eyes and a wide mouth. Like Marzin, the one who had found them, the nillium all seemed to have cat-like features. Though, she wouldn't necessarily say they resembled cats (not like the lygin, who looked exactly like cats, whiskers and all), just that they had a sort of animalistic appearance. Piercing cat-like eyes, sharp teeth, pointed ears, and straight, flat-ish noses. The strange horns that were straight as rods and grew from each side of their heads like a crown were indeed not cat-like, however. The horns reminded her of the kind she'd seen on a dragon in one of her childhood picture books.

  They didn't have tails that she had seen, but their bodies were tall, long, and lanky, yet muscular and agile. Besides the color, she couldn't guess what their skin was like, whether it was soft, or smooth, or rough, though it certainly seemed tougher than a human’s. And their hair seemed thicker, like a mane that went along the center of their head and down their neck.

  Like a cat. Or a dragon.

  Yes, that's it—cat-dragons. A new species.

  Aly opened her eyes, shook her head, and snickered. She made a few more marks in her drawing, shading around the bright eyes. It was funny how she had been amazed by Marzin when she first saw him, as well, but, for whatever reason, she hadn't thought to draw him. With this new nillium (whom she secretly nicknamed Blue because she didn't know his actual name), she had a strong urge to do so. While Marzin came off cold, stiff, and as personable as a rock, Blue was a fresh mystery; alluring, dark, and different.