Kartega
Chapter 33

Panic shot through each one of Sid’s bones as they huddled behind the beast hut. Unlike the rest of the camp, the place was far from quiet but it wasn’t the usual growling of the sleeping animals that worried her. Dalrak raised an arm and the rest of them stopped in their tracks on command. They fell silent, even Fred’s low buzz of energy quieted down though she wasn’t sure if it was a response to danger or his battery slowly diminishing. They pressed their backs against the hut’s walls and listened.

Voices shattered the silence. Three low tones from what Sid could make out — warriors. What were they doing in there? Were they checking on the beasts? That couldn’t be it, no one checked in on the herd this late in the night. Something else had brought them there. Something that might blow their escape plan into pieces.

Sid listened in, keeping her breathing to a steady tone that matched the howls of the wind around them. It was then that she heard it. A fourth voice; lighter than the rest, more melodic and much more commanding. Tazmin.

Stardaughter! What now?

She took a step forward but Dalrak held her back, his magic wrapped around hers in the spot where their arms touched and she could feel the panic in him as if it were her own. This was out of the ordinary for the priestess and he knew it too. She met his eyes and he shook his head, ordering her not to move further.

They couldn’t just stand there. Sooner or later, the priestess and her warriors would exit the hut and even if they could somehow manage to stay hidden, there was nothing to stop her from setting the entire Al’iil camp after them. Sid crawled around the side of the hut, shooing off Dalrak’s attempts to stop her, and flattened out on her belly near its entrance. Lifting only a sliver of a limb at a time, she raised her fingers to the heavy fabric and parted it just enough to get a good look.

Tazmin stood in the center of the hut with three warriors at her side. Behind her, Sid counted seven more warriors waiting diligently at attention. Beasts lounged across the hides on the floor, most were asleep but some stared blankly at Tazmin and the warriors as if they were following along with the conversation. The group was whispering, pointing to a large aluminum capsule next to the high priestess. The trade for Serryl. Nothing stops business, I guess. Sid rolled her eyes and lowered herself back down, trying to stay as flat as she could while crawling back to the others.

She waved them over and they creeped into a tight circle around her. Sid pointed to the hut then ran off the number of warriors on her fingers, waiting until they nodded that they understood. Ashlan shrugged and she took that to mean that he had no idea what her plan was. She didn’t have much of an idea either. The only thing Sid knew was that they couldn’t leave with Tazmin awake and on guard.

A plan started to form in her mind, not a fool-proof plan, not even a well thought-out one really, but it was the only idea she had and they couldn’t keep standing there all night. Signing, she tried to explain what she had in mind. When she was satisfied that her point got across, she glanced at each of them and smiled. A gesture she thought was reassuring but ended up being peculiar instead. She didn’t let that bother her and directed each member of their small group into position.

Ashlan had the first move. He worked fast, entering sequences of code into the droid’s commands. Fred didn’t wait long to respond and Sid hoped it was because he understood the urgency of the situation and not because he was a mindless machine that did as it was told. He moved surprisingly quietly, his legs taking long strides and landing perfectly still on the balls of his feet. He was at the other side of the camp in moments. Looking back, Ashlan winked and entered more numbers into the projection. At his command, the droid’s body whirred, the blue of its energy core pulsating brighter. The group watched as Fred stood tall and let out a blood-curdling scream.

Warriors rushed from the hut in his direction, their muscle-bound bodies trampling dust in their wake. Ashlan’s fingers tapped on the projection from the shadows. His lips curled into a smirk as he forced the droid to loop right then left. Pushing it into a mess of movement that made the warriors run around like excited children. They hadn’t spotted Ashlan. Not yet. Which meant they still had time.

With the warriors distracted in a pointless feat to protect their priestess, she watched as Tann crept to the back of the hut. A flick of his knife was all it took to slice through the wall paneling. He pulled at the opening, stretching it wide enough to peer through and waited.

“I know you’re in there, Tazmin!” Sid yelled.

She was sure that from Tann’s position he could see the priestess’s face turn; her lips a straight line and her eyes fierce with the heat of anger. He waited until she took the bait and stepped outside before his attention turned to the beasts in the hut. The creatures were wide awake now, their growls piercing through the hut and reaching Sid where she stood. Tann had never seen the Tecken in real life and she was hoping that he would not waste time with fear or intrigue, they needed him to get the beasts out if they had any chance of escape.

A shuffle of massive feet sounded from behind the hut and Sid sighed in relief, turning her attention back to the priestess. Her blonde hair shone silver in the light of the moons overhead and Sid hated noting how specific Tazmin’s beauty was. Her wild hair and muscle-toned body made her look like she was made of jungle; a child of Kartega through and through.

“I should have known better than to put my trust in you, Dalrak,” the priestess said calmly as she stepped out of the hut.

The warrior tensed and Sid stepped in front him, “You should have known better than to underestimate his kindness.”

“It is a shame his kindness will be the thing that kills him.”

“You’re a monster,” Sid said and took another step forward. She could feel Dalrak’s magic rise to the surface behind her, “And you will not touch him.”

The high priestess let out a laugh that sent shivers down the back of Sid’s legs.

“You are not leaving us tonight, Stardaughter. Not until you have done what you are meant to do.”

“For the last time, my name is Sid!” She yelled. “And I am not meant to do anything. Least of all for you!”

She raised her hands and started to free her magic from her very bones but before she could direct it at the priestess, Dalrak leaped from behind her, his heavy body knocking her out of the way as he flew at Tazmin.

It took the high priestess less than a second to blast him in the gut with enough energy to send him barreling back onto the ground. He groaned and tried to sit up but Sid could see he was gravely injured, his side charred black from where Tazmin’s magic hit. Blood had started to pool from his wound and she ran to his side, pressing her hands firmly into his abdomen. His eyes met hers and, in that moment, Sid knew she was on her own.

“Stay down,” she whispered and cupped his hands over his wound before getting up.

Tazmin faced her, strong and regal, her hands back at her sides. The faint glow of her body bright in the darkness of the night around them. “This is what happens when we disobey Kartega.”

“He didn’t disobey anyone but you and you don’t speak for the star! You don’t speak for anyone!”

Sid jumped to her feet. The energy pushed itself through her body, flowing from her feet to her face and bouncing off every blood cell. She wanted to scream so loud she might explode. She was full of magic that wasn’t hers. Magic she didn’t want anything to do with. She felt like an overheating engine ready to combust. Her breath was fast but she managed to keep herself from sounding breathless when she spoke.

“You gave me something,” she said and forced the magic to the surface. Her body vibrated, hard enough that everything around her started to shake. She grounded her feet and when she looked down at her hands, she could she was glowing. “I think it’s time you took it back.”

Tazmin’s face contorted as she started to discern Sid’s words. By the time she understood, it was too late. The energy that Sid sent her way was large enough to level an entire Dome to the ground. All the magic the priestess spent days feeding into her, torturing her with, soared through the air and back into Tazmin. Back into the vessel it wanted to return to.

Sid’s legs shook and she landed on one knee as her strength gave way. She continued to push the power out of her. A scream left her mouth as the last of Tazmin’s magic escaped from her body and made a final blow to the priestess’s limp form on the ground. She tried to stand but she couldn’t hold herself up and she fell back, collapsing on top of Dalrak’s shoulder. He wrapped an arm under her and nodded in Tazmin’s direction.

She couldn’t tell for sure, but she thought she could see the priestess’s chest rise and fall. Sid breathed out, relieved that Tazmin was still alive, that her death would not be something to be haunted by. Even more relieved that her body was her own again.

“We need to leave. Now!” Ashlan yelled from behind them and she turned to see warriors running in their direction on Fred’s heels.

Before she could start to run, a hand grabbed her by the back of her suit and hoisted her onto a Tecken’s sturdy back. Dalrak, still bleeding, smiled and hopped onto a second beast that stood nearby. She looked around to make sure everyone was ready to ride and charged forward.

They stormed through the camp, evading the thrusts of warriors and jolts of magic zooming past them. Sid didn’t look back, not once, not until they broke through the camps barrier and were so deep in the jungle that she couldn’t hear the wild screams of the Al’iil in the distance. When she could see nothing but the darkness of sleeping trees, she loosened her grip on her Tecken’s matted fur, motioning it to slow its stride. The others rode beside her, with the exception of the droid that jogged alongside Ashlan.

“You did good, Fred,” she smiled. “You all did good.”

“Not good enough,” Ashlan said, his eyes full of grief.

She followed his gaze to Dalrak who was hunched over, his breathing loud and labored. “Who? Him? He’ll be alright. He’s stronger than he looks, just needs to rest for a bit. We all do.”

“That’s not what I meant,” he said and raised an eyebrow.

“Then what?”

“You missed a lot,” Tann answered quietly.

“What in the stars are you two talking about? We got away and they’re not following. We’re safe.”

Ashlan smiled sheepishly. “The Al’iil aren’t the only ones on our trail.”

“What?”

“The queen, Sid. Before I left, she gave orders to bring you in. Alive, at least as far as I last heard.”

“Me? Why me?”

“I think Abbot found out about you meeting with the rebels.”

“Freedom Runners,” Tann corrected.

“Right, Freedom Runners.”

She shook her head, still uneasy about their sudden alliance. “So she wants to what? Have me arrested?”

“I think it might be more than that. She sent every Starblade after you. They’re probably scouring the domes right now. There were attacks in four different domes before we came after you. She’s bringing people in without questioning. Anyone that might know where you are. And those that don’t oblige…” he lowered his gaze.

“What, Ash? What did she say to do to those that don’t give me up?”

He fell silent. It was Tann who spoke next.

“They’re taking them in. No questions asked.”

Her eyes pooled and she ran her fingers through the Tecken’s fur beneath her. She knew exactly what happened to those the Starblades took in, she’d seen it with her own eyes. “And what lesson is Leona hoping to teach them here?” She asked through gritted teeth.

“That if they’re with you, they’re not with her. And anyone not with her dies.”

“How many?”

“Several hundred before we left,” Ashlan said, “probably more than that now. I just don’t understand why she cares so much about one Freedom Runner. If that’s even what you are.”

He didn’t know. Tann hadn’t told him who she was. Why? Why was he keeping it a secret? She wanted to tell Ashlan everything. About her magic. About Colton. She thought he would have known by now, that she could be herself — be free. But he was as clueless as ever and for some reason, Tann was helping it stay that way. Was he worried about the rest of the Freedom Runners? Did he not trust Ashlan because he was a Starblade? He trusted him enough to bring him in to save her but not enough to tell him the entire truth. It didn’t make sense!

“I don’t know what I am,” she said and felt Tann tense at her words. “But I know I can’t let her hurt innocent people just to get to me.”

“Well, you’re not going to turn yourself in if that’s what you’re thinking!” Ashlan protested.

“I’m not thinking that,” she said, defeated.

“So what’s your plan?” Tann asked.

“I don’t know,” she said truthfully. “Right now, I just want to get far enough away from the Al’iil and make sure Dalrak is alright. We can discuss everything when we’re not being hunted down. Tazmin is not a threat right now but she’ll come to and when she does, she’ll come after us.”

“Why, Sid?” Ashlan asked. “Why are the Al’iil after you? And how did you even take down the high priestess?”

He was confused. She couldn’t blame him. As far as Ashlan was concerned, the Al’iil were a force not to be reckoned with. “I didn’t,” she lied. “Dalrak used his magic and overpowered her.”

“Magic. I still can’t believe they have magic.” Ashlan sighed.

She could feel Tann’s eyes on her but chose to ignore him.

“Magic they want to use against Leona and every other human on Kartega.”

“Kartega?” They asked in unison.

“Looks like you were right. We do have a lot to discuss, later.”

They rode on in silence, taking turns sleeping on the backs of their beasts throughout the night. Sid stayed awake, checking on Dalrak periodically to make sure he was still breathing. His wound was healing slowly but it was healing nonetheless, his magic running though his blood and speeding his recovery. He’ll be alright, she thought, they’ll all be alright.

She recited the words like a mantra as they rode into the depths of the jungle. Into the dark unknown that led them away from the high priestess and the Al’iil and into the wilderness of the star. Into the wilderness of danger that Sid knew was yet to come; danger that she had no idea how to protect them from.

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