Page 47 of Indentured Companion
“I am, in fact, slowing toyourpace.” I bite back at the armoured Sacron to my left. I make a point of lifting to my full height, and I am a good foot taller than him. “If you wish to go faster, then you need to start jogging.”
“Pft.” The solider to my right sniggers, and makes the one on my left huff. I sniffle, and note that they do in fact, start to jog. I stride into a brisk pace, and I am soon lowered to sit in an armoured hover truck. The guards move to the front of the truck once I’m locked in the holding compartment at the back. There is a viewing screen so they can keep an eye on me as they drive me to a prison cell.
In the same hour I was awarded the rank of Councillor, I was also arrested as a danger to anyone with a pulse. To rise so high, and then to fall so low? Devastating. None of which matters more to me than Valerie’s safe return. Yes, I am hungry, but my fear and grief overpower anything else I feel. I bow my head forward, my veil damp with tears as I am gripped with terror. Who has my Valerie? Is she tied up? Unconscious? Or swearing her ‘Merchant Caste mouth’ off at whoever took her? “I can’t believe what I’m seeing. He’s crying.”
“So?”
“I dunno. I guess…I expected him to lose his shit and go berserk or something. Not…cry.” Great. Now they think I’m either a monster, or pathetic. My shame compounds.
“I get it. If anyone took my Tylia, I’d be a wreck too. Hey? Hey Dynast?” Why is he talking to me? I lift my head to look at the screen and watch as one of the officers takes off his white helmet. His skin is vivid green and his frills are yellow. They flex as he rolls his neck from side to side, and he locks his orange eyes onto the screen at me. “Just hold on. Once we’ve got you secure in a holding cell, I’ll make sure to chase for updates on your lady for you.”
“Thank you.” I nod with gratitude.
“It’s the least I can do after being tricked by those fake officers. They will lose their castes and get 25 years in prison just forthat. Add on top that they’ve kidnapped your feeding companion and put your life at risk?Andmade the Theskian council look like idiots? Well.” He sniggered and nodded to his partner in solidarity. “I don’t think they’ll see the light of day again.”
“Or they might get shot?” The other officer offered.
“As long as Miss Stone is found safe and sound first, I do not care.” I sniffle and absently try to wipe the tears from around my eyes, but frown when the cuffs restraining my hands behind my back stop me.
“If they get Harknass’s unit on the recovery opp, they’ll shoot for the head. They always d-”
Boom.
Something collides with the side of our truck, and my vision spins as the vehicle does. I feel the sensation of the vehicle spinning and my right side hitting the wall with the vid screen. It shatters and shards fly, slicing at my arms and making my robes spatter with blood. A moment later, I hit the floor and everything goes black.
Chapter 34
Withdrawal
Valerie.
I groan and rub my face, feeling a headache throb through my skull. What the fuck happened to me? I blink my eyes open and realise I’m laid on my right side on a metal floor. No wonder I’m cold as hell. I shiver and groggily roll over onto my stomach. I prop myself up onto my stomach and forearms and look through lidded eyes at my surroundings. Huh? Where the hell am I? I groan at how heavy my body is and lick my lips. They are dry, my head hurts, and I squint to focus my vision. Did I drink a butt-load of whiskey last night or something? I can’t remember ever beingthishung over.
Wait, hang on? This has nothing to do with booze. As I come round the fog is lifting and I remember the bullshit that took place before I passed out. I was kidnapped by very polite and fake as fuck Sacron police officers. Mother fucker. I can taste some sort of chemical at the back of my throat, my nose stings, and my lips are dry. It must be from whatever they used on the cloth they smothered me with to knock me out.
I look around and see I’m in something akin to a basement or a storage hold. There are wooden crates everywhere and the walls are made of dull metal. I push myself up onto my knees first, then use a crate to hoist myself up to stand.
“Son of a bitch!” I hiss and hold my middle as a wave of dizziness and throbbing pain sweeps through me. It’s not just in my head like I first thought. My whole body aches. Did they rough me up, whoever took me, when they carried me off to Lord knows where? I am still wearing the long yellow ruffled charmeuse gown, but it is scuffed in places. The floor is dusty and the air is stale. My brown hair is still in a plait, but wisps of hair frame my face. “Ah!” Another wave of misery pulses through me, and I lean heavily on the crate to my side. I hurteverywhere. I have no sleeves, so I examine my arms and frown at the lack of any wounds. No bruises. No cuts. No sign of injury of any kind. I drag the right side of my dress up to look at my legs, and they are just as blemish-free as my arms. Yet they are fucking aching, and a ricochet of agony hits me again with enough force that I cower onto the crate. “Did they drug me?” Other than the chemical on the rag, of course. Well, unless it was something really nasty they used to incapcita-mother fucker?!?! SHIT! Shit shit shit SHITTY fuck! I know what this is. Realisation slams into me and shakes me with fear. It’s not drugs making me feel like waves of vision splitting dizziness, and pain rocking my body.
It’s withdrawal.
How long was I unconscious? How long have I been away from Vrajan? We were due to feed when he got out of his council meeting, so how long ago was that? I have been a few hours late in the past and been a little hornier than usual, but otherwise fine. If I’m feeling dizziness and pain like this, how long have I been here? Was I unconscious for so long that I skipped super horny and went to screaming pain as my organs started to protest? And what state is Vrajan in? He’ll be starving, alone, and surrounded by people who will probably piss their knickers at the sight of him without a willing meal. What did that asshole call me at the Gala? Meals on heels.
Shit. Fuck. Balls! I whimper through another wave of pain, and kick off my heels. They weren’t very high, but I can barely stand as it is, so off they go. I push off from the crate and look around. No windows. There is only one door, and it’s locked with some sort of security panel. I stagger over and brace my hands on either side of it. I struggle to focus, but eventually I find a little yellow button with a speaker symbol on it. I press it and weather another wave of pain, before speaking. “Hey! I don’t know who you guys are, or why you’ve taken me hostage, but I don’t think you understand what you’ve done. I-I’m sick.” Well, I’m in withdrawal from Vrajan’s Bonding Succour which I need more than fucking water right now. Fuck. “You’ve taken me away from the Dynast, but he’s the only one who can help me. Ah!” I whimper and struggle not to fall down to my knees, the pain is so gripping. “It’s going to get worse. Shit. Please? I need to go back. Please? I need him.” And he needs me. “If you are hoping to get money in exchange from me, sooner is better than later, because pretty soon what’s happening to me, is going to happen to the Dynast. Then you’ll get nothing from him, because he’ll be too sick to give it to you.”
“How can youbothbe suddenly sick?” Someone answers me and it’s coming from behind me. I look around, still keeping my finger to the speaker button, and spot a camera aimed at me.
“Because I am the Dynast’s feeding companion. You clearly have no idea about Korvis biology, and the Dynast and I have a symbiotic relationship.” I don’t want to tell them too much, but all I need, all I want, is to go back to Vrajan. “If you took me hoping for a payday, fine. But you’re also killing us. The-fuck.”I cry with a fresh wave of hell and claw at the wall as I grit my teeth and make it through the other side. I’m panting, fatigued from the pain already and covered in a cold sweat. “The longer this shit goes on, the worse we’re both going to get. I’m still alive and locked away down here, meaning you need me alive, right? That implies I’m leverage? For payment, or something? Well you’ve fucked up, because you’re slowly assassinating us both.”
“That’s a rather elaborate ploy.” The voice chuckles with a deep rumble. “Symbiosis huh? I’ve heard many pleas from hostages over the years, but that’s a new one.”
“It’s true!” I snarl up at the camera. At least I have confirmation I’m a hostage. “How long have you held me hostage?”
“Why is that important?” MOTHER FUCKER! I want to scream, but I’m afraid of how that will hurt my throbbing skull.
“Because without me, the Dynast is starving to death, and my body is shutting down you fucking idiot. I’m supposed to take Regen pills. Got any of those lying around? If you’re hoping to hand me back over for a fee, the timer is running out on-” I scream and hold my head. It hurts so much. I feel like something is inside my skull and scrambling my brain. My stomach is in knots and nausea crashes into me like a tsunami. Tears slug down my cheeks and I fall to my side on the floor. I shake and hold my stomach. “You’re killing me.” I whimper and once I can see straight again, I bang my fist against the floor.
This is not just a few hours apart. I must have been unconscious for a long time to now be in this state. What state is Vrajan in? He will be worried sick, but he’ll be feeling what I am too. Maybe worse, since he’s starving as well. Anger wells inside of me. I have no idea why these fuckers have taken me hostage. I don’t now who they are, and I don’t give a damn. The first opportunity I get, I’m finding something sharp or blunt to shove into someone’s eye socket. I need to find a way back to Vrajan.
