Forever askole, p.9
Forever Askole, page 9
“If she is anything like this one, she will not follow my commands,” Vorian spat.
I gave him my Debbie Sunshine smile. “You’re right, Skye won’t listen to you, and frankly, you would only be in the way. So, maybe you should stay behind and let us girls take out the Rodan labs.”
Outrage flashed in Vorian’s eyes. “You think you are strong enough to destroy the Rodan labs?”
“Yep.”
“I’ve seen Ella in action and there is no doubt in my mind she is capable of destroying a Rodan base,” Sariel inserted proudly.
Vorian sneered, “You would allow your pregnant mate to go into a battle zone?”
“No. I will not.”
“What? But…”
“Not another word Ella. I will not risk you or our child,” Sariel snapped in my head.
“Fine, but we’ve been in a battle zone for the last two days.” I focused on Vorian and with a quick chant, turned his teeth glow-in-the-dark white and for that extra touch, I gave him bright pink underwear with a lacey crotch.
Sariel shot me a worried look.
I patted his arm.
“Does Yann have a timeline on when we can interrogate Jagger Kendon?” Tihar asked hurriedly.
Sariel checked his comm-link. “Tomorrow.”
“I want Ella with me when l ask Skye for her help in locating the Rodan labs,” Zarek stated.
Sariel nodded. “After surviving a Rodan attack, I am sure Skye can be persuaded to join in the hunt. Yann will release her into your custody tomorrow morning.”
“Please do not tell Skye she belongs to the Coletti Empire. It’s going to be bad enough when she discovers she’s on an Askole warship. Let me talk to her first or be prepared to lose a shitload of ships.” I interjected.
Everyone just stared at me.
I threw up my hands. “Duh. Skye’s the one who created the spells for destroying warp drives and weaponry.”
“If necessary, I can stop her,” Zarek growled.
“Like hell you can.”
Sariel snapped, “Enough Ella.”
I yanked one of my never-ending candy bars out of my bag, ripped the paper off and started eating. “I will not kill Zarek. I will not kill Zarek. I will not kill Zarek,” I mumbled between bites.
The guys watched in wary fascination.
When my temper was under control, I said calmly, “Go ahead and do it your way, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“Witches are not like normal human females. Mind control does not work on them, and with the large number of Rodan ships in this sector of space, you cannot afford to lose any warbirds,” Sariel stated.
Zarek frowned. “I agree to your terms, lady warrior.”
Vorian stiffened and bared his fluorescent white fangs.
I grinned.
Sariel’s tentacles stood up.
Tihar laughed.
Zarek took one look at his teeth and sighed.
“What did the she-devil do?” Vorian asked.
I took a mirror out of my bag and held it out. “I gave you a pretty white smile.”
Vorian peered at his image and scowled. “I do not find this amusing.”
“Would you prefer pink?”
“No, lady warrior, I would not,” Vorian grumbled.
“Look at your teeth as a reminder of what a witch can do. My sister has a bit of a temper, and if you piss her off you might lose some body parts.” I stared at his crotch.
Sariel’s, Tihar’s, Zarek’s and Vorian’s gauntlets all beeped at the same time.
Zarek glanced down at his vid screen and vanished.
A few seconds later, Vorian teleported away too.
“What’s wrong?”
“The Bjarke fleet has arrived, and the Battle Captain is demanding Jagger and Skye be turned over to him immediately,” Sariel answered.
“That’s not going to happen. Want me to blow up their engines?”
“No! With the Bjarke it is best to talk face-to-face. Finish your food,” Sariel said and whoosh, he was gone.
Moving faster than the eye could follow, Tihar zipped after him.
I let out a sigh. There was no reason I couldn’t have gone with him. Was he afraid I’d make them all pretty in pink? Maybe. I finished my chocolate bar, grabbed the plate of German Chocolate cake, and chowed down.
A glittering blue light formed by the door.
“That can’t be good.”
The light dissipated and there stood a muscle-bound Bjarke warrior in patched armor. One look at his brutish features, arrogant stance, and the avarice in his eyes when he spotted me, and I knew he was trouble.
The warrior asked in Galactic Basic, “You are the one called Skye?”
“No.”
He scowled. “Do not lie to me female.”
“I’m not. You got a name?”
“I am Axis master warrior.”
Was that his name or rank? “Does Sariel know you’re here?”
“It does not matter. We will soon control this ship.”
I laughed. “Like that’ll ever happen.”
“The Bjarke are mighty warriors,” Axis exclaimed smugly.
“Un huh. Say that again when you’ve gone up against the High Commander. He’ll kick your butt.”
Axis pointed a thick finger at me. “You will come with me.”
“Before you do something incredibly stupid, Sariel, the High Commander, is my mate. Leave while you still can.”
Axis stared at me for a long moment. “You refuse to obey my commands?”
“Seriously? What part of Sariel, the High Commander, is my mate, didn’t you understand?”
Axis laughed and stalked toward me. “I do not fear him.”
“Okay fine, then you should fear me. Cuidamn suis.” I smiled as the stun spell hit Axis and lightning crackled around him like fiery snakes.
His eyes rolled back in his head and down he went.
God, were all Bjarke warriors this stupid? I’d better let Sariel know he had an uninvited guest wandering about. I linked with him and gasped. He was sword fighting with three Bjarke warriors at the same time. Dang, he had some serious skills.
I caught a glimpse of Zarek, Vorian and Tihar fighting alongside him. They all seemed to be having a great time. Shit! I broke the link. The fight was a diversion! I ported to sick bay.
“Yann? You here?”
The little medic stepped out of a room. “Yes, lady warrior. Is there a problem?”
“The Bjarke are here to take Jagger and Skye. Is there somewhere we can hide them?”
Concern filled Yann’s eyes. “Does the High Commander know this?”
“Yes, but he’s a little busy fighting the Bjarke invasion to help us right now. We need to hide Skye and Jagger. Like now!”
Yann tapped an icon on his gauntlet and a panel in the wall slid back. “The room is shielded.” He pushed Jagger’s regen tube into the small chamber.
A Bjarke warrior charged through the sick bay doors.
I hit him with a mental stun grenade. He staggered backward, hit an examining table, stumbled off-balance and fell on top of Yann.
The medic’s arms and legs wiggled wildly. “Help!”
I rolled the warrior off him. “You, okay?”
“I am uninjured.” Yann got to his feet.
Three more Bjarkes rushed in and yelled in unison, “Surrender or die.”
I hollered back, “Surrender or die.”
The Bjarke warriors pulled their swords.
Yann ran into the shielded room and hit a button. A klaxon sounded.
Bellowing their war cries, they attacked.
I ported behind them and shouted, “Cuidamn suis aliud!” Bolts of lightning shot from my hands and struck the warriors. They flew across the room, barely missing Vorian who had just teleported in, and hit a wall.
“You can conjure lightning?”
I shrugged. “Skye’s better at it.”
Vorian dragged the Bjarke warriors into the hallway and cuffed them.
I sighed when I spotted two more Bjarke warriors hotfooting it down the passageway with their swords raised above their heads.
“I will deal with them,” Vorian stated firmly.
“Okey-dokey.”
Vorian simply waited until they were in range and kicked the crap out of them.
“Nicely done, War Commander.”
He gave a slight bow. “The Bjarke Battle Captain wants Skye as his mate, and he is determined to secure her by attacking this ship.”
“Not a smart move.”
“It is not. I am to guard you until the Bjarke warriors have been brought under control.”
“Swell.” I walked back into sick bay and checked on Skye.
“The bruising on her face is almost gone,” Vorian commented.
I frowned as my crystal ball chimed. I took one look at it and groaned. “There is a cloaked Rodan ship off the port bow.”
“Impossible. Our scanners would have detected it.”
I held up the crystal. “Take a look. What do you see?”
“A Rodan ship.”
Glittering blue lights formed around Skye, Vorian, and me. “Fuck!” Once again it felt like my molecules were being taken apart. Sick bay disappeared. There was a disorienting moment of blackness and my molecules abruptly stopped whizzing about. The light faded and I was staring at an older human male with wild white hair and three blood-red eyes.
Vorian stepped in front of me. “I will take great pleasure in killing Giovanni’s spawn.”
I did a quick spell to protect Skye and the Munchkin from any harm.
“The only one dying is you,” Giovanni three-eyed rasped.
A crackling red energy storm suddenly engulfed us. Agony seared every nerve ending. A scream tore from me, and everything went black.
Chapter Thirteen
Something jabbed me in the stomach. “Up!”
Jab. “Up!” Jab. “Up!”
Ugh. Why was a little foot kicking me in the stomach?
“Momma! Up!”
I groaned. God, did I have a headache.
“Momma! Up.”
Gak! And a serious case of brain fog. Why did it feel like I had been beaten? Who was moaning? Why did I have this sensation of impending doom?
“Momma! Up.”
“Okay. Okay. Give me a sec.” I forced my eyes open and looked around. Huh? I was in a blood splattered cell. Had I been arrested? I couldn’t remember. A moan broke from me as my limbs spasmed violently. Holy hell! That hurt.
An image of a white-haired freak flashed across my mind. “Him. Bad,” the little voice said in my head.
Him I remembered. That creep had blasted us with a military grade stun ray. I had seen it used once and the results weren’t pretty. Why hadn’t my armor protected me? Frowning in confusion, I looked down and gasped. I was naked! That white hair pervert had stolen my armor, my clothes, and underwear.
“Momma! Up,” the voice urged.
I instinctively drew on my magic and chanted a healing spell. The pain vanished, my mind cleared, and I shot to my feet. “Holy hell! Munchkin!” I focused on my uterus and to my relief her lifeforce glowed brightly. My protection spell with a little extra kick had worked. “Sorry kid, you probably think I’m a bad mom.”
A loving warmth radiated from Munchkin.
“I love you too. Your daddy is probably having a meltdown, but remember, witches are tough.”
A giggle sounded in my mind.
I rubbed my stomach. “Now we must figure out what that sick creep has done with Auntie Skye and Uncle Vorian. You’ll love Auntie Skye. Uncle Vorian? Not so much.” I reached out to link with my sister but there only a cold, empty void. I sucked in a horrified breath. Was she dead?
Munchkin’s distress flooded my mind.
I pressed a hand to my chest. Wait! I could still feel our familial bond. I shared the sensation with Munchkin. “See? Auntie Skye is alive, but we must rescue her from the bad man.”
“Dada?”
The sensation of overwhelming loss brought tears to my eyes. My link with Sariel was gone too. “That creepy clone doused us with Drakash, and we can’t talk to Dada right now. Don’t worry, I have the antidote.” I looked around for my bag. “Had the antidote.”
“Bring?”
“I’ll summon it, but first things first. I need some clothes.” I conjured up a pair of jeans, a black tee-shirt with a one-fingered salute logo on the front and combat boots. Ooops. I forgot underwear.
A thunderous roar reverberated off the walls.
Munchkin squeaked in alarm.
“Holy crap! What was that?”
“Big.”
“Yeah, it almost sounded like a dinosaur, but they’ve been dead for millions of years.”
“Dino?”
I flashed Munchkin an image of a T-Rex. “That’s a dinosaur.”
“Want. See.”
“Sorry, kiddo, they’re extinct.” I couldn’t see anything through the shimmering energy barrier.
The creature roared again.
Shit! It was getting closer. Forget the underwear. I hurriedly dressed and summoned my bag and body armor. “Et pedes insulas.”
My armor belt and witches’ bag materialized next to me. I quickly checked the contents and sighed in relief. Nothing was missing. “Once I drink the antidote, we’ll be able to hear Dada again, but I’m worried how it will affect you.”
“Drink,” Munchkin urged.
“You are such a smart baby and talking up a storm already.” How was that even possible? Maybe it was normal for Askole babies or had my protection spell gotten a little twisted? That was a possibility. I’d have to have a long chat with Yann. “Get ready.” I grabbed a vial of the antidote and quickly drank it.
Sariel shouted, “Ella?”
“Ouch! Don’t yell. I’ve got a headache from being stunned and you don’t want to upset the baby.”
“Have they harmed you or the child?” Ghostly hands skimmed my body.
Munchkins reveled in Sariel’s presence.
“Other than being stunned and dousing with Drakash I think we’re okay.”
Sariel growled, “Where is your armor?”
“Hang on, I just got it back.” I wrapped the belt around my waist and triggered it. Snikt. Schlik. Schlik. Schlik. Schlik. Schlik. Within seconds black armor covered me from head to toe. “You need to figure out a way the bad guys can’t take our armor off.”
“My designers are working on the problem.”
“Who took you?” Tihar demanded.
I flashed them the image of Giovanni the three-eyed pervert.
“Another clone,” Sariel spat.
Zarek asked, “Are Skye and Vorian with you?”
“No, but don’t worry, I’ll find them.”
“Now that we are linked again, I can track you. We are about three hours from your location. Do what you must to survive,” Sariel instructed.
I could feel Sariel’s apprehension that he wouldn’t reach us in time. I pressed a psychic kiss on his mouth. “Don’t worry Pumpkin, that bastard has never dealt with a witch before, and boy is he in for a surprise.”
“Of that I have no doubt.”
The note of pride in Sariel’s voice made me smile. I pulled my crystal ball out of my bag. “Hang on, I’m going to scry for Skye and Vorian.” I focused on the crystal and chanted, “Quae vocatur Skye.”
The image of a cluttered lab formed in the ball. The rock walls were lined with cages full of dying monstrosities. A fancy microscope and a horde of tissue cultures littered a medical table on wheels. I sucked in a horrified breath. Vorian and Skye were strapped to examining tables. Skye was naked but Vorian still had on his pink lace underwear.
Wearing a spiffy white lab coat with a red plastic rose pinned to his lapel, Giovanni three-eyed cursed loudly as he tried to remove Vorian’s undies. He yanked and tugged frantically, but they wouldn’t come off.
I laughed at Giovanni’s expression of total exasperation.
Tihar snorted. “You hexed Vorian’s briefs?”
“You bet your ass I did.”
The mad scientist pulled out a scalpel and tried to cut Vorian’s underwear off. The scalpel broke. Giovanni threw it across the room and screamed, “Why won’t they come off?”
“They are cursed,” Vorian mumbled. His face was a battered mess.
“Fuck you!” Giovanni stomped over to Skye and slapped her. “Wake up!”
I literally saw red. “Occidit et veniunt!”
Munchkin growled and in my mind’s eye, I could see her baring her precious little fangs.
“I said wake up!” Giovanni raised his hand to strike her again and poof! Hundreds of fire ants swarmed over him. He let out a blood-curdling shriek and batted at them like a crazy person. “Get ’em off. Get ’em off.” He ran from the room.
“Quite effective, Ella,” Sariel extolled.
Vorian looked around. “Ella? I do appreciate your indestructible pink underwear, but you need to free us. Now!”
I conjured up pink armored jumpsuits and boots for Vorian and Skye. The jumpsuits weren’t as good as Askole armor but would stop a laser beam, or a sword strike or a critter bite.
Vorian grimaced. “I need weapons more than clothing and your sister needs a medic.”
“Ono galles.” The straps vanished.
Vorian jumped off the table, grabbed a healing wand, and ran it over Skye several times.
Her eyes popped open, and she looked around. “Where am I? What happened? Who are you?”
“My name is Vorian, I have no idea where we are, and we are prisoners of a Rodan scientist.”
Moving like she was a hundred years old, Skye eased off the table. “You’re Coletti.”
“I am your only hope of survival.”
Skye rolled her eyes. “Typical Coletti bullshit.”
I laughed at Vorian’s irritated expression.
Skye finally noticed they were both wearing pink jumpsuits. “Ella did this. Where is she? Why can’t I link with her?”
“They doused us with Drakash.”
“Fuck.”
Skye’s color wasn’t good, and I was amazed Vorian was still upright. I sent them healing energy.
