Page 25 of A Monster's Light
He made that pained snarl again, but this time, it ended in a roar as two tranquilizer darts hit him in the shoulder. He went berserk then, and I was swung around like a limp rag. But my distraction had given time for Sergio and Macey to come behind and grab him. They wrestled him down to the shuttle floor as the drugs took effect.
“Good thing we got the fast-acting stuff,” Sami said, pulling the new darts from Gnnar before moving to the one in his wing and sealing that one in a small baggie. “It better not react with whatever the fuck this is.”
“Well, the sedation won’t last long. These guys process everything really fast. Let’s push this baby to the max and get home.” Sergio was already at the controls.
“I’ll send out a report so they know what to expect when we arrive,” Macey said.
Sami came to me and held out a hand, and only then did I realize I was sprawled on the shuttle floor.
“Thanks.” I let him help me up.
“You okay?”
“Yeah.”
“I hope this experience doesn’t scare you away. I promise it’s not always this crazy.”
“I believe you.” My eyes darted to Gnnar, who was still crumpled up on the shuttle floor. “Are you going to just leave him like that?”
“Yep. Ain’t no way I’m moving him again. He’ll be fine, I promise. These Kadrixan bastards are tough.”
Chapter 15: Dana
They had a team ready and waiting for us inside the hangar when we landed. Good thing too, because Gnnar was just coming around, and by the look in his eyes he wasn’t back to his old self.
By the time they had him restrained, he was struggling and snarling. It hurt to see him like this. I wanted to run to him, wrap my arms around him and try to calm him down, but the others held me back, worried about my safety. I understood their concern, but I was sure that Gnnar would never hurt me.
“They’ll probably want to play twenty questions and get all those scrapes and bruises treated, but if you have nowhere to go after, I can take you to Ellaston,” Sami offered.
Before I could reply, a familiar voice said, “That’s okay. I’ll bring her over in the morning. She can stay here tonight. We’ll get her some real clothes, good food, and a warm bed. I bet she’s sick of traveling.”
I turned to see Penny grinning at me.
“I’m so glad you made it!” Instead of offering a shake, she gave me a hug. And after the initial moment of shock, I sank into it. I needed this hug. I’d dealt with rough situations as a journalist, but nothing like the past few days.
“Nice to finally meet you, Penny,” I said, hugging her back.
“I usually go by Penelope here. Penny is a pen name.”
“Penelope. Thank you for taking my email seriously. I really wasn’t sure it was going to work.”
“No problem. Let’s get you out of here before they insist on debriefing you,” she whispered conspiratorially, eyeing Macey, who was already being asked a million and one questions about the rescue. “That can wait until tomorrow. Let’s get you to the infirmary, give you a quick tour, and get you settled.”
“It’s okay, really,” I said, suddenly self-conscious about the fact that I was wearing a blanket and was covered in bruises. “It’s not that bad.”
“If you’re worried about Gnnar attacking you, we have several medical labs. I’m taking you to another one.”
“Oh no! It’s not that. I don’t believe he’ll actually hurt me. Even when he was freaking out in the shuttle, he was super careful with me.”
Penelope didn’t look convinced. I understood her skepticism, considering he was attacking everyone and everything he could as they strapped him down.
She led me into the stronghold. Built into the side of a mountain, the stronghold was a mix of natural rock and sleek metal. At first the corridor was narrow, just large enough for the two of us to pass through, but it soon opened up into larger passageways. We stopped in a large open room.
“This is the Great Hall. We usually have our big meetings and special meals here, but I’ll let you know more when we do the official tour.”
We continued down one of the corridors which was lit by long, narrow lights set into the rock and metal walls. Additionallight came from old-fashioned, gothic-looking sconces with fake, flickering flames. But what really drew my attention were the fountains set up in almost every hallway. They looked like they belonged in a medieval castle.
“Those are the drinking fountains. They’re scattered around the stronghold. They’re natural mountain springs that they built a fountain around. Give it a try.”
