Page 14 of Lhora
“Now what?”
“Lhora!”
The shout came from down the corridor. She squinted at the shadow quickly approaching her.
“Lhora! This way!”
She gasped to see Duren motioning to her and reached for her weapon. Seeing her go for her sword, he shook his head.
“I’m here to help you! We’ve got to get off this ship!”
“Plug you! All I have to do is wait for my people to board this heap so they can skin you alive!”
“We’re not being fired upon by Beinights! We’re being attacked by the Tra’Mell! Now, come on!”
He was telling the truth. But…
“Why should I follow you? Why should I allow you to keep me prisoner?” she snapped.
“Lhora, you have to believe me! There’s more going on here than I was made privy to. There’s three Tra’Mellian ships converging on us! This is the only chance we have of making it off this galleon before they board us. Hurry! While my father and the crew are busy trying to fight them off!” He waved at her again. His worry and growing fear reflected on his sweaty face.
More footsteps stomped overhead. She dropped onto the deck and ran to join him. He turned and led the way back down the narrow passageway to another connecting corridor. He was waiting for her at a narrow doorway, and gestured for her to go ahead of him.
“No.Youlead,” she demanded. Duren shrugged and slipped inside, reaching out to take her hand. Keeping herself open to his vibes, she grasped his fingers, and he jerked her into the small compartment, closing the door behind her. They were plunged into darkness.
“By the goddesses, you better know your way around this plugging ship,” she almost growled.
“This is an emergency exit. It’s narrow and cramped, and you must keep your head down,” he informed her. “I take it you have them on your ships?” When she didn’t answer, he chuckled. “Why do I even try to hold a decent conversation with you?”
“I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me?”
As he guided her through the corridor, she lightly trailed her fingertips across the bulkhead that was mere beres away. The space couldn’t have been more than half a vare wide, and maybe a vare and a half high. Barely big enough for one person to pass through, and goddesses help the person if he was largely built.
The enclosure was also stuffy and not well-ventilated. And hot.
Lhora jerked her hand away from his. “Hold up. I need to catch my breath.”
“It’s not much farther.”
She hoped he was right. All around them she could hear a familiar hard hum. The sound, the heat, the slight vibration…
“We’re underneath the engines, aren’t we?”
Duren snorted but didn’t answer. She grinned to herself. “Guess I deserve the silent treatment, too.”
“You ready to keep going?”
“Yeah.” She felt his hand touch her arm, sliding down to her elbow to help her along.
Something slammed into the ship. The vessel lurched sideways, throwing Lhora forward. She threw up her hands to protect herself, and fell against a warm and firm body. She froze when her palms encountered sweaty flesh.
Duren instinctively wrapped his arms around her and planted his feet, legs apart, to keep them stabilized. The ship took another nosedive. Lhora clutched him as she felt herself lifting into the air. If not for Duren’s grip on her, she would have been bounced around inside the narrow tunnel, possibly breaking her neck or a few bones.
The ship steadied itself. Duren waited for her to regain her balance, then released her. “You all right?”
“Yes.”
“We have to hurry. I think they’ve boarded. But my father says it can’t be them because he has some sort of agreement with them.”
