Salera's Storm

CHAPTER 29

  Rina

  “Welcome aboard, Rina,” said Vorkis.

  A Zorcon was pouring Sarvin Crystals on his head. Rina was on the floor coughing, trying to regain her breath from Vorkis choking her.

  “This ship was named for my sister, Eloquin,” said Vorkis, looking down at her. His voice was soothing, almost pacifying. “She was my first victim. It’s a reminder of how easily I can overtake people.”

  “Now, why am I not surprised?” said Rina sarcastically. She was sitting at his feet. “You make it a habit to kill family.”

  Vorkis laughed aloud, glaring at her with vindictive eyes. The light shining from above was blinding and she crawled out of it, studying her surroundings. They were in a dark, round room and everything was the color black, except for a giant white circle on the floor, where Vorkis was standing under the light. She could barely see the five Zorcons in the shadows. A set of sliding doors was off to her right.

  This place is special, thought Rina. She stood to her feet. Some kind of sacred room, a sanctum of sorts.

  Vorkis was motionless, allowing the orange Sarvins to heal him. The Oridians must have seriously injured him for the crystals to take this long. She wondered if the chemical compound of Sarvins was plant-based. She sighed. Being a scientist in a new environment is hard when you’re always fighting for your life.

  A strong smell of rotten meat permeated the air and she wondered if the whole ship stank. Another Zorcon stepped out of the blackness and up to the circle. Her nail scratches were still on Taru’s face and a black patch covered his left eye. White blood spotted his gray uniform.

  Why didn’t Vorkis allow Taru to use the Sarvins? Probably because he’d let a girl get the best of him. Good. He’d deliberately tormented her with Shiro’s fake death and the thought of how he ate people was sickening. This guy has got to go.

  “Easy,” said Vorkis. “It is the way of the Zorcon.”

  His words rustled her nerves. Am I becoming like Kalin, so bent on revenge I can’t see that Zorcons are just another type of animal? Taru licked his lips at her. Nope, she thought, he needs to die.

  “Aren’t you curious about where you are?” asked Vorkis.

  He raised his arms sideways and two Zorcons wearing purple uniforms scurried out of the darkness and began undressing him. She hadn’t seen those two in the shadows and wondered how many more were there. Vorkis cleared his throat and grinned. They were removing his gray pants. Rina quickly spun around, embarrassed.

  “Is there a problem, my dear?” asked Vorkis. “Have you never seen a naked man?”

  “I have no desire to see you,” she said, hoping he wouldn’t sense it was just pictures. Celibacy came with a price.

  “We can save it for later,” said Vorkis. She heard the swish of the doors open and shut. “You can look now,” he said.

  He was dressed Ninja style. His black shirt and pants were loose. Attached to his ebony sash was a small gray case, a twelve-inch knife, and a long, curved sword, similar to a samurai. His crooked smile told her he was proud of his appearance.

  “What are you supposed to be?” she asked.

  He bowed. “I am an Uru Master. I steal the life of my enemy. I hear him beg, then I take his life slowly and with pain. This is the way of Uru. This is my way.”

  “You’re nuts,” she said.

  He pulled the knife from his belt and walked towards her, swinging it by his side. With each step he took, she moved back farther until she was against the wall, frantically looking for a place to run. There was none. In the darkness, he hovered over her like a giant; his blue eyes glowed white as he put the knife to her face. She didn’t move; she couldn’t move. This guy was a cold-blooded killer. She was a foot away from the man who was ready to exterminate the whole Earth-human race. Would a kick in the groin level him? She doubted it. With that getup, he’d expect it.

  He grabbed the back of her head, crimping a clump of hair. A dim light clicked on above them. She tried to push him away but his strength was overpowering. She froze when he started gliding the flat side of the knife along her cheek. The smooth metal was icy cold. He pressed the tip of the knife just below her left eye and leaned close to her face, nose to nose. The breaths on her face stank and something in his glare told her he wanted a scream. He wanted her fear. If he tried to kill her now, she wouldn’t go down without causing him some kind of pain.

  She stood firm, staring straight into his eyes. His thin lips slid into a nefarious smile. He let go of her and moved away. He reached over her forehead and yanked out a single hair. She refused to give him the pleasure of a flinch. He held the knife vertically and ran the hair along the edge of the blade. It split in two.

  “When I’m done with you, I will cut you like this strand of hair,” he said.

  “Not if I can help it,” said another voice.

  Vorkis swiftly turned around and a laser blast caught him in the shoulder.

  “Kalin!” shouted Rina.

  Without answering her, he dove onto the deck and rolled, firing several more shots killing the guards. All the lights came on. Taru was cowering near the wall, mumbling and pleading for his life. Vorkis seized her from behind and held the knife to her throat.

  “If you shoot,” said Vorkis, “she dies with me.”

  “Blow him away, Kalin,” she said.

  The knife dug deeper and she felt the warmth of her own blood trickle down her neck.

  “Let her go,” said Kalin. “It’s me you want. Fight me to the death, Vorkis. Winner takes Rina and Salera.”

  The blade eased a little.

  “An interesting proposition, cousin,” said Vorkis.

  “Isn’t this why you teleported to your cheap replica of an Uru Temple?” said Kalin, keeping his aim on Vorkis.

  “Your familiarity with Uru is surprising, cousin,” said Vorkis. “I suppose your rebellious attitude toward Saleran laws led to this knowledge, which proves you were never a real Saleran. You should be happy I ended such useless lives. You and I could rule this galaxy together. The offer still stands. What say you, cousin?”

  Every vein in Kalin’s neck bubbled to a deep purple color. Beads of sweat saturated his face and hands. His eyelids and lips were quivering to the hatred inside him. He was doing all he could not to shoot.

  “Never,” said Kalin through clenched teeth. “Let’s get this on.”

  “So be it,” said Vorkis. “To the death.” He slipped the knife into his sash and shoved Rina away.

  She fell to the floor; lightheaded, she sat up and pressed her hand over her bleeding cut.

  “Don’t do this, Kalin,” she said, fighting a wave of nausea. “Think of your family.”

  A gush of blood spurted from between her fingers. Faintness whooshed through her head. The creep had nicked an artery.

  “Taru!” shouted Vorkis, “the female.”

  He removed the flat, gray case from his black sash and tossed it to Taru who caught it.

  “Yes, Your Highness.”

  Taru opened the case and sprinkled the crystals on her head. As the cut healed, she watched him attach the small box to his gray belt. Taru pulled her up to standing and put a Barra to her left temple.

  “Shoot him, Kalin,” said Rina, tilting her head as Taru pushed the weapon harder into her skin. “Shoot him and your problems will be over.”

  “Maybe,” he said, laying down the Barra. “But I’d be more satisfied this way.” He took off his black vest.

  What is it with guys? thought Rina. A woman would have shot him.

  The two men stood in the center circle. Vorkis closed his eyes and raised his hands over his head, then lowered them into a praying position in front of his face. Kalin’s eyes were riveted on his enemy. Vorkis winked at Rina and threw her a kiss. His hands were so fast she didn’t see him grab the twelve-inch knife and fling it at Kalin. It burrowed into his shoulder and he staggered back.

  “Now we are even,” said Vorkis.

  The tip of the knife was j
utting out of Kalin’s back; it had gone clear through. He gritted his teeth while slowly sliding out the blade. His shoulder was bleeding profusely. He inhaled a deep breath and stashed the knife in his black belt.

  “Thanks,” he said. “I needed it.”

  Vorkis frowned in obvious disappointment. He whipped out his silver sword and roared, charging Kalin. The swing of the blade was fast and Kalin leapt away just in time. Sparks burst from the weapon as it hit the metal deck. Kalin rolled to his feet and kicked the sword out of Vorkis’ hands. Vorkis lunged at Kalin and they tumbled, wrestling, on the floor.

  Vorkis scratched and ripped with his nails, tearing at Kalin’s clothes. He dug his teeth into Kalin several times, gnawing like an animal. Kalin’s clothes were shredded in several places and he was bleeding from his nose and lips. Vorkis never let up. He worked fast and hard, bombarding Kalin with his fists, nails, teeth—whatever he could use to maim him. It was the most sadistic fighting she’d ever seen.

  Kalin managed to punch Vorkis in the face. He jerked away far enough for Kalin to shove him off with his feet. Not a second later, Vorkis lunged for him again. Kalin swung his leg and got Vorkis in the head, making him stumble away.

  I have to do something, thought Rina. I must have telepathy like everyone else. She shut her eyes, concentrating. Marante....

  The snap of Kalin’s leg and his scream brought her back to reality. She went to help him but Taru yanked her back. He pressed the gun so hard to her skull she was sure it would crack.

  “I have not forgotten the injuries you gave me,” said Taru. “I will enjoy killing you.”

  Blood was pouring from Vorkis’ nose. He picked up the sword, walked to Kalin and raised the weapon high in the air.

  “Now you will die,” he said.

  Kalin whipped the knife from his belt and plunged it deep into Vorkis’ stomach. His mouth gaped and he hunched forward, dropping the sword. He clamped both hands on the hilt and fell back against the wall.

  “You’re dead,” said Kalin, struggling to stand on his one good leg.

  “And you will join me,” said Vorkis, pulling the knife from his stomach.

  Thick white beams of light exploded from Vorkis’ eyes, striking Kalin in the chest. His body went airborne and bashed into the far wall, then bounced on the floor. He lay squirming, his face squeezed in pain. Vorkis slid to the floor, cupping his wound and keeping the beams of light on Kalin. With one hand, Taru opened the gray case on his belt and scooped up a handful of Sarvins. He threw them in the air at Vorkis and they landed scattered on top of him. The orange crystals twinkled near the open cut.

  “You see, my dear,” said Vorkis, catching his breath, the beams unrelenting, “long ago, Salerans rejected their gift of Xevniors and, with time, it eventually dwindled within the race. Only I realized the value of this magnificent force and rekindled its power. With all the water in his system gone, he will die and I will win.”

  Kalin was turning paler with every moment. His flesh was literally shriveling to his bones. He was dying. Panic had set in.

  Focus, Rina, she said to herself. I need to do something...anything. Taru was her best target.

  She elbowed him in the stomach and yanked the Barra from his hand. Before he fell, she lifted the Sarvin case from his belt and tossed it to Kalin, who was lying still, facing the opposite wall. Vorkis stopped his Xevniors and leapt to his feet. She fired and hit his newly mended shoulder. His body flipped around and he crumpled to the deck, delirious. Six Zorcons rushed into the room and surrounded Vorkis, pointing their Barras at her. She kept her aim at whatever she could see of Vorkis and moved away from Taru, who was getting to his feet.

  “You can’t block him entirely,” she said aloud, knowing it wouldn’t be a good shot.

  “You will not win this,” said Taru. “You are on His Majesty’s vessel. Where do you think you can go?”

  She hated his robotic voice, but he was right. There was nowhere to go. She wanted to rip the stupid smirk from his ugly face. He licked his lips again.

  That’s it, she said to herself. I’m done.

  She fired at a Zorcon in front of Vorkis, then turned and blasted Taru. His head exploded, spraying blood and chunks of grey matter throughout the room. A laser beam cut into Rina’s stomach, slamming her against the wall. She lay on the floor, barely able to breathe, when she heard Kalin’s voice.

  “Hold on, Rina! Don’t let go!”

  His words sounded like faint echoes. Her eyes opened slightly and she saw him on his feet. The pain was unbearable; she wanted to die. An unnatural cold set into her bones. The world was fogging up and Kalin seemed so far away, almost like a dream. She opened her eyes a little more and saw heavy white beams shoot out of Kalin’s eyes. His Xevniors lifted the guards and threw them across the room. Vorkis sat up, horrified; the beam got him straight in the face.

  Go, Kalin.

  “I’m coming, Rina,” shouted Kalin, keeping the beams on Vorkis as he shuffled sideways to her.

  The hole in her stomach was almost the size of her hand and she couldn’t move. Her body was numbing; she couldn’t feel her hands and feet. Vorkis twitched and convulsed to the life-sucking beams. Just then, six more Zorcons came into the room. Kalin’s Xevniors sent them crashing into the wall. Vorkis wasn’t moving. She watched Kalin snatch up Vorkis’ knife and stuff it in his belt as he ran to her.

  “I got you,” he said, gently lifting her.

  Memories of her childhood raced through her mind. Mary was there; Justin was crying. She saw the doors slide open and five more Zorcons dashed in with Barras. A bright light flashed.