Page 8 of Phoenix's Last Heist
Ah,twodead stalkers. So, Orion had the guts to finish one off, after all—not that Kraxis needs to know that.I don’t want to entangle myself with the ranger any more than I already have.
“He’s a Xylothian ranger, shit-for-brains,” I say with a laugh. “He didn’t have anything to do with them. He probably stumbled onto my camp after I led your other friends through this stars-forsaken jungle.”
Kraxis blinks stupidly. “I thought all the Xylothians were extinct.”
“Yeah, well, you’ve got your gun aimed at one’s head, so that’s probably incorrect.”
“That changes things,” Kraxis says, eyeing Orion’s massive six-foot-eight frame with interest.
I sigh, not bothering to mask my exasperation and irritation. “Look, it’s not my fault if Brill can’t manage the details. If he’s fencing relics from a not-so-dead race of aliens, that’s his problem. My contract is settled as soon as I deliver the Solar Mother idol to him and my slate is wiped clean—you hear?Clean.That means you useless fucks stop hounding me every time you think I’m running out on a score or not delivering fast enough.”
“Brill knows you were going to betray him, Phoenix. He found out about the buyer on Epsilon-6. You were going to take the idol to someone else, even when you knew it was rightfully his,” Kraxis growls, turning his attention from Orion back to me. I can see pure rage igniting in Orion’s eyes and I know he’s about to argue Brill’s alleged ownership of the idol. He opens his mouth to speak, but I cut him off.
“First of all, that’s insane. Why would I sell the idol to anyone when all I’ve been doing is working to get out from under Brill’s thumb? I want my freedom as much as that shitbag doesn’t want to give it to me.” My father always told me the best way to sell a lie was to inject it with some truth.
Kraxis hisses at the disparaging words.
“Secondly,” I continue. “The point is moot. The idol isn’t even here. I found the temple, all right, but there wasn’t anything inside. Just a bunch of dusty ruins and crumbling walls. Brill’s information was either outdated, or someone got to it before me.”
Orion’s eyes widen, but he blessedly keeps his lovely lips shut.
“You lie!” Kraxis shouts.
“Search me all you want, lizard dick. I don’t have the statue. Maybe I should just call Brill and tell him someone beat me to it—I’m sure he wants to spend his valuable time looking for a traitor in his midst. I wonder how many of your Void Stalkers he’ll immolate while he hunts for the truth.”
The threat is unbelievable and improbable, but Kraxis is terrified of his boss and the hold Brill has over his brethren. That fear works in my favor and I can see the wheels turning in his tiny brain.
“No one else knew the location of the idol,” Kraxis says slowly.
“Are you sure about that?” I ask, hoping to sow enough doubt to distract him sufficiently. “Look, how many men did you bring with you? If you don’t believe me, go and see for yourself. You know where the temple is. I can’t leave here empty handed, so I’m not exactly going anywhere.”
“This is a trick,” Kraxis hisses. His attention flicks back to Orion, whose face appears impassive, but the stormy look in his eyes promises me a world of hurt.
“Maybe it is,” I offer with a shrug. “But are you really going to risk it? If I don’t return with the idol and you lot don’t either, I can’t imagine Brill will let it slide so easily. Hell, I don’t know. Maybe I missed something back at the temple. I’ll wait here with the Xylothian and if you can’t find the statue, we can torture him for the location—I’m sure he knows where it is.”
The idea of torture appeals to Kraxis just enough to give my words the weight needed. He shouts something in his guttural native tongue and six Void Stalkers melt out of the bushes surrounding the cleaning. I congratulate myself on not launching an all-out attack on Kraxis—I knew he wouldn’t have come alone.
“Oglor will stay here with you. If you attempt to escape, he will flay you and lick the blood from your skin,” Kraxis says with a cruel smile.
“That’s disgusting,” I reply, my lip curling. “Can’t you just ask nicely? Fuck.”
The stalker Oglor licks his lips and gnashes his teeth at me.
“The rest of us will go to the temple. If we cannot find the relic, we will return and torture the Xylothian. Brill will have his prize,” Kraxis says. He conveys his instructions to his men and makes his way to the edge of the dense jungle. “And if you are lying to me, Lyra Phoenix, Brill won’t be the only one you have to worry about,” he says over his shoulder.
“Hey, Oglor,” I call when Kraxis is out of sight. “You got any water? My canteen’s empty.”
The Void Stalker stares at me—clearly not understanding my words in Kailorian. He narrows his beady yellow eyes. I hold up my canteen and mime drinking, then point to the container at his hip.
Scowling, he cautiously walks over to me and holds it out. As soon as his hand is in range, I yank him forward, pulling him off balance and slamming my elbow into his temple. He crumples to his feet, out cold.
“Help me tie him to that tree over there,” I instruct Orion, who still regards me with murder in his eyes. “Or he’ll come to and contact Kraxis, and we won’t get out of here.”
Orion folds his muscular arms across his broad chest and glares at me, unmoving. There’s something unnerving in the stillness—like he’s weighing what I just did, deciding whether I’m a liability or an ally. His eyes are sharp, assessing, and I can almost hear the gears turning behind them: how far will she go, and what is she hiding? I get the sense he’s less afraid of Kraxis and Oglor than he is of me.
“Uh, hello? Lyra contacting Ranger Orion! Do youwantto be skinned alive?” I huff, dragging the limp stalker to a nearby banthus trunk.
He still doesn’t move.
