Dagger's Hope

  *.*.*

  Dagger swung the sword at one of the massive heads, twisting as a second one snapped at him. He rolled under the front foreleg of the beast, dragging one of the large swords along its breast before jumping to his feet. He barely had time to duck the tail that swung at him as it tried to twist around.

  Using one hand, he braced it on the tail and jumped over it as it swept past him again. He had to roll again when one of the massive heads spun around to the left and snapped at him. Striking out, he caught a vicious blow to the right side of its head. The sword in his hand cut through the tender flesh just below the right eye of the Serpentian. The head snapped back, striking the one in the middle. He didn't have time to see what it did because the head on the left side was bent backwards, trying to reach him.

  Twisting, he let the momentum of his body give him the strength he needed to slice through the thick greenish-red scales of the right neck. Satisfaction poured through him when thick, gooey green blood pumped from the deep gash across its neck. The head jerked backwards, but it was too late. The Serpentian's right head wobbled before falling forward.

  The creature's scream shook the arena. Dagger stumbled backwards and shook his head as his ears rung from the loud, high-pitched sound. The Serpentian took advantage of his disorientation, striking him with its left head. He felt his feet leave the ground when the force of the blow picked him up as if he were little more than a child's toy. Pain exploded through him when he hit the thick bars of the cage before he dropped to the hard surface of the floor. He lost his grip on the sword in his right hand when he hit, and it skidded several feet away from him.

  Clutching the sword in his left hand, he quickly rolled to the left when the Serpentian charged at him. It was off balance due to the weight of the dead head, but still just as deadly. He jumped to his feet and ran several feet before turning and holding the sword out in front of him. Instead of following him, the creature looked at him with one head while the other reached down and began gnawing at the lifeless head attached to its body.

  Hoping for a chance to strike, he moved toward the massive body. The head watching him snarled in warning even as the other continued to tear at the flesh holding the dead head attached to its body. Dagger calculated that this was his best chance to attack. Rushing forward, he calculated the distance between him and the beast.

  The moment the sharp teeth snapped at him, he swung the sword in a long, downward arc cutting through the flesh at the junction between the head and neck. What he hadn't calculated on was the speed at which the other head would strike back. Agonizing pain exploded through his shoulder when the middle head, its mouth dripping with dark green blood, shot out and bit down on his left shoulder.

  The sword in his left hand was ripped away, buried in the neck of the creature. Darkness threatened to take him when the middle head of the creature lifted him up in the air. His body hung like a rag doll from its mouth. Dagger fought through the nausea and pain, refusing to admit defeat. Gritting his teeth, he swung his right hand up and into the creature's eye. His fist sunk into the soft tissue. Ignoring the feel of it, he dug his fingers into it and twisted. The massive jaw holding him by the shoulder, opened as the creature released a horrific screech of pain and fury.

  He felt his body falling through the air before it landed with a sickening thump on the floor. He vaguely realized that he still held the eye of the Serpentian in his hand as he lay on the hard floor, warm blood soaking the ground under him. It took a moment for him to recognize that the crowd was chanting for him to finish the beast.

  Dagger rolled, fighting the urge to just lie still. Crawling over to where the sword he had dropped earlier was lying, he wrapped his right hand around the grip. He used the sword to help him stand. Turning, he watched as the serpentine worked feverishly on trying to remove the second head.

  Determination filled him as he shook past the pain and weakness threatening to take him. He would finish this tonight. He would be no man's pawn, especially Kelman or the Drethulan’s, any longer. He would not be leaving the arena alive tonight if he had his way.

  Stumbling forward, he released a loud roar. The Serpentian's head turned, the empty eye socket mocking him before it turned its head so it could focus on him. He stared back, his eyes devoid of emotion, at the blazing red eye.

  "Freedom!" He roared, driving the sword up through the creature's jaw when it struck at him. "Freedom or death. Either way, I win this battle tonight!"

  Twisting the sword in the tender flesh, he turned and stared up into the stands at Kelman, who had risen from where he was sitting in the third box reserved just for him. The arrogant bastard was smiling and slowly clapping his hands.

  Dagger slowly withdrew the sword from the Serpentian’s jaw and bared his teeth at Kelman before turning on the guards that rushed him. A primitive rage swelled inside him. Focusing that rage on the guards, he attacked them with a viciousness that left the audience in a frenzy.

  Swinging the long sword, he tore through the first guard’s chest before swiveling and burying it in the gut of the second guard. He was pulling it out when the first bolt of electricity hit him, causing him to stagger back. Unable to use his left arm, he wrenched the sword out as another bolt hit him. This one knocked him to his knees.

  Dagger struggled to stand, but the sword was pulled from his grasp and he fell forward. His body bowed when another guard hit him with the stunner. Rolling onto his back, he stared hazily back toward Kelman. The bastard’s smirking face looked down on him.

  “Take him down and make sure he is patched back up,” Kelman ordered. “I want him ready for the next fight.”

  “There’s only the two fighters from earlier left,” one of the guards grumbled. “Neither one of them can fight. Who else is he going to kill?”

  Kelman’s lips tightened into a knowing smile. “Perhaps more of his own kind,” he stated. “If not, I’m sure you can be given to him to toy with. I want you to make sure the healer has him ready.”

  Dagger blinked back the darkness as it began to descend around him. Pain exploded through him when one of the guards grabbed his left arm so they could carry him out of the arena. He felt the last thin thread that separated him from the mindless fury of the Serpentian he had just killed, snap as the excruciating pain pulled him down into its inky darkness. The fragile link to his sanity had finally dissolved.

  Chapter 5

  Jordan blinked back the tears that blurred her vision. Tonight’s fight had been horrifying. She had felt like her heart was being ripped out of her chest as she watched Dagger fight for his life. When the creature bit into his shoulder, she couldn't hold back her cry of anguish.

  She saw Trig glance at her pale face in concern when she finally caught up with him. She wasn't the only one shaken by what she had seen. Trig's face was set in a cold, stony mask of determination and rage. Jordan had to force herself to walk away from the upper balcony and outside of the building. She knew that revealing her feelings could have devastating effects should anyone know that she was there for Dagger. She refused to become a pawn for those holding him captive. Instead, she kept her head down and focused on trying to get back to the room that Trig had rented for them.

  She darted across the busy walkway to the other side. A dark corridor cut between two of the shops. The Spaceport was littered with the access corridors, allowing easy passage to the next section. Personally, she hated the dark corridors. They reminded her too much of the alley back on Earth where she had been attacked.

  She pushed the choking fear down and stepped into the narrow passageway. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Trig nod his head as he waited for her to go through first. Turning her head back to face the faint light at the other end, she picked up her pace.

  Jordan breathed a sigh of relief when she rounded the corner, and leaned back against the wall of the corner shop. She had to duck her head to hide her face when two men walked past her into the alley. Curious, she turned to watch them. She bit b
ack a cry of dismay when she saw Trig was fighting with a small group of men that must have come up behind him. There were at least five of them, not counting the two men who just entered the alley.

  Hope blossomed inside her when she saw the two men that had passed her, rushed toward the struggling group. For a brief moment, Jordan hoped that they were going to help Trig, but instead, they joined in. She started to rush to help when she saw Trig suddenly collapse. One of the men had struck him in the back of the head.

  Jordan pulled back and slipped between the panels of cloth hanging on display when the men started back toward her. The trembling that had started earlier grew when one of them paused at the entrance to the alley. She peeked through the material as another man approached from across the busy street.

  “You get him?” The man asked.

  “Yeah,” the man from the alley replied. “Took him by surprise, but he still beat two of my men pretty bad. Even after I pumped him full of sedative to knock him out, he still wouldn’t go down. I ended up hitting him in the head. Don’t think it caused no damage.”

  “Deliver him to The Hole,” the man instructed. “This makes three Trivator warriors for the ring. Kelman and the Drethulan will pay big for them if they fight anything like the one he has now.”

  “Where’s my credits?” The man demanded, shifting uneasily from one foot to the other. “I don’t work for free.”

  Jordan watched as the man that had crossed the street withdrew a small purse. He pulled several slender chips and handed them to the scaled-faced man that had fought with Trig. She pulled further back into the shadows when he snorted and yelled out to the others to bring Trig forward.

  “You’ll get the rest when you deliver him,” the man with the purse stated, watching as the other men carried Trig out of the alley.

  Jordan quietly slipped from her hiding place and followed the small procession from a distance. Turning into the narrow alley across from the entrance to the fight ring, she bit her lip. Panic filled her as the realization that she was totally alone on an alien Spaceport washed through her. The only thing she had going for her was her brains.

  One thing was for sure, she couldn’t return to the apartment. It was too dangerous. The man had said they now had two more Trivator warriors. Trig had told her that he had asked for help. Surely, there would be more coming if the others didn’t report back.

  Glancing down the alley, she decided that the best plan of action was to learn where the men were being held inside The Hole. Once she knew that, she could look at the security systems. When the others came, she would be ready to help them. Until then, she would have to be extremely careful to not be caught.

  *.*.*

  A post on the outside of The Hole stated that it would be closed for the next two days. Jordan had heard that the Dreluthan who owned it wanted Dagger to be fully healed before he held another fight. In the meantime, the anticipation for the fight had gone viral across the Spaceport and more and more people were arriving to attend it.

  Jordan took advantage of the pause between events to slip into the building and explore as much of it as she safely could. She had moved into a small abandoned room off the alley near the entrance to The Hole. It looked like it might once have been a side entrance to the business around the corner, but someone had sealed the doorway long ago. The area was just large enough for her to make a hiding place, and was close enough that she could monitor both the front and side entrance to the fight ring.

  Slipping into the building using the badge she had made, she was crossing through the kitchen area when a rough hand grabbed her shoulder. Keeping her head down, she twisted under the pressure until she was facing a strange looking creature with a flat, orange face, no nose, and twin beady black eyes. A series of clicks and pops sounded when he spoke.

  It took a moment for the translator in Jordan’s ear to decipher what he was saying. Glancing up, she realized that it was one of the cooks. A frown creased her brow until she understood he wanted her to take the tray he was holding.

  “Take this to the cell guard on Level Two,” the cook ordered. “Then, make sure you wash the dishes.”

  Jordan glanced over at the mountain of dirty dishes stacked all along the counters and around the floor. She nodded and held out her hands to take the tray. A low hiss of breath escaped her as she turned away. This might be the chance she was searching for to break Dagger, Trig, and the other warriors mentioned out of wherever they were being held. All she needed to do was find a way to overpower the guard.

  She had the small laser pistol that she took from Hunter’s office. Swallowing, she carefully carried the tray through the winding corridors and down the steps to the lower level. It had been tricky a few times getting through the locked doors without dropping it. Whatever was on the plate was heavy and smelled horrible. This was one time she was thankful she had her nose and mouth covered.

  Sliding her badge over the access panel, she waited as the door slid back before stepping through to the narrow set of stairs leading down. The steps wound around until they finally leveled out onto a short corridor. Jordan walked slowly, her eyes rising every few seconds to see what was in front of her.

  She turned the corner and discovered a long hallway with a guard room at the far end. There was a single, solid metal door with a large window in it. On either side of the door were additional windows. The faint glow of a computer console lit the room, highlighting the guard sitting inside it.

  Jordan continued down as the guard opened the door and scowled at her. Ducking her head, she trembled when she saw him rub the front of his pants and look down at her with a sly grin. She didn’t need a translator to understand what the man was thinking.

  “I haven’t seen you before,” the guard said, leaning back against the doorframe.

  “Your food,” Jordan replied in a husky voice. “Cook said to bring it.”

  “I could use some other sustenance as well,” the guard replied, closing the door behind him.

  Jordan thrust the tray out in front of her. The moment the guard took it, she stepped back several feet. Her hand started to slide toward her pocket where the laser gun was, but paused when she heard other voices coming from behind her.

  Turning, she almost gave herself away when she saw the guards coming down the hallway carrying two other men between them. She immediately recognized them as Trivator warriors. Each had blood on their faces, a testament to the fight they must have put up.

  Escaping back around the corner, she peered around it so she could watch where they took the two men. The guard opened the door and set the tray in his hand down before he pressed the panel inside. Her eyes flickered on the set of keys he also passed to one of the men. They used both electronic and manual locks.

  She waited long enough to watch the door that opened beside the men. Turning away, she quickly climbed back up the stairs. Despair threatened to overwhelm her as her mind raced. She would need more than a little luck if she was going to overpower the guard, open the cells, and find the men before she was discovered as well.

  “I’ll need either a miracle or one hell of a diversion,” Jordan whispered as she slipped back out of the building, bypassing the kitchens this time.

  *.*.*

  The miracle Jordan was looking for appeared the next day. She was just returning from a food run when she caught a glimpse of the dark-haired woman surrounded by Trivator warriors. She followed them through several sections, recognizing almost immediately where they were heading.

  Making a quick decision, she knew she couldn’t chance them getting caught as well. Weaving ahead of them, she waited until the dark haired human woman walked toward the stand where she was waiting. Jordan stepped out in front of her, blocking her way and drew in a deep breath. The woman started to step around in irritation before their eyes locked with each other. She started when she heard the woman’s soft gasp and the faint sound of her name on the woman’s lips.

  “Jordan?” The woman asked in a
husky voice.

  Jordan’s eyes widened and she nodded. A tiny, uncertain smile curved her lips as her eyes darted to the three men standing slightly behind the woman. Her hope for a miracle had been answered. Gripping her hands around her small cache of food. She motioned for the woman and three men to follow her.

  “Yes, come with me,” Jordan murmured in a low voice, glancing back and forth between them for a moment before she turned toward the alley.

  A frown darkened her eyes when she glanced over her shoulder and saw one of the men in the group turn and hurry away. She watched, wondering if she was making a mistake trusting them. She pushed that fear away. All the Trivator warriors she had met so far had been kind and protective. The woman didn’t appear to fear them. If anything, she had a look of determination in her eyes that Jordan completely understood.

  Jordan waited until they followed her before pushing aside the long piece of fabric that she had hung over the recessed doorway. She heard one of the men caution the woman to wait until he made sure it was safe. Her confidence that she had made the right decision grew when he cautiously pushed aside the curtain and looked around the tiny space.

  “Come,” he called out, glancing briefly at Jordan. “Race, keep watch.”

  “Who are you?” Jordan asked quietly, staring intently at the woman’s face. “Did Hunter send you?”

  The woman shook her head and smiled. “No, I am here to find my Amate, Razor. My name is Kali Parks. This is Sword, the man outside is called Race, and the other guy that left is Cannon,” Kali replied, folding her arms across her chest. “Razor was looking for you and Trig. Hunter did send him.”

  Jordan nodded in satisfaction. “I knew Hunter would be worried. I had to come. Dagger… Dagger has been lost for too long. After… after seeing what he has been through, I can’t leave him now that I’ve found him again,” she forced out in a voice thick with tears.

  The tears Jordan had been holding back escaped her when Kali touched her arm. She didn’t resist when Kali wrapped her arms around her in support. For several long moments, Jordan drew strength from knowing she wasn’t alone in her fight to free the men.