and Mojar? He said you kidnapped a female healer and took her out here.”
Troy’s dry lips twisted in disgust. “He’s a bastard—even by Braxan standards. But I guess you’ve figured that out. I had originally struck a bargain with Mojar to come with me to treat Darya. We’d agreed on his terms when Alor asked if she could go in his place. He was jealous. I guess he thought I wanted to challenge him, but I didn’t. When he changed the terms of his deal, I made a mistake. I told him what I’d found out about the transformation, trying to blackmail him. I guess he drugged me, and I woke up out here.”
“And what happened to Alor? Did he leave her out here with you?” Damon asked. He’d found Lea’s pants and handed them to her, completely casual and without a glance in her direction.
“She’s alive and in hiding,” Troy answered and Lea’s hopes soared. If the female healer was still somewhere in the jungle, maybe they could find her and still bring her off world with them, since there was no way Mojar would be helping them now. “I’ve been trying to keep the others away from her as best I can. Females are...scarce out here. They usually don’t survive long...” Troy hung his head. Shame made his voice crack. “I’m afraid I haven’t done a good job of protecting her. I’m not strong enough to fight most of the others and a few of them have...”
Lea put a hand on his arm. “It’s okay now. Take us to her. We can all protect her now.”
“How did you find out that electric shock can reverse the transformation?” Damon took up the conversation while Lea slipped into her pants.
“It was an accident. I’d been here a little more than a week, and I was starting to feel it already. The rage, the feeling like I had to run away was already overwhelming. In the middle of the night I wanted to go for a walk, but I couldn’t remember how to work the door lock. I pried the panel off with my bare hands and stuck my fist into the circuits. The shock knocked me across the room. When I woke up, my head was clear again.”
Damon eyed him. “You knew it wasn’t a coincidence.”
Troy shook his head. “I wasn’t sure until a few days later when I started to have ideas about actually taking Alor from Mojar, believing I wanted to own her. I tried a shock-stick on a low setting. It worked. It made me able to think clearly again. I couldn’t believe the solution could be so simple.”
“Having every electrical impulse in your body interrupted at high voltage isn’t really a simple solution.” Damon gave a dry chuckle.
“I suppose you’re right, but after spending months lost in my own head, wandering through this godforsaken jungle, I’d have done anything, believe me. When I told Mojar what I’d discovered, he didn’t react well. I realized I’d uncovered a dirty little Braxan secret.”
Lea’s blood chilled at the thought that Mojar’s actions might be condoned by the rest of the Braxans. He’d make sure they got no help, and there would be no way for them to escape Ambrax with both Troy and Alor.
She swallowed her concerns though, and put on a brave face for Troy. His desperation to return to Darya was evident in the longing expressed in his face. She couldn’t crush his hopes so soon, but how could she promise him he’d survive to see his wife again?
With a forced smile, she offered him her hand and helped him to his feet. “Come on, show us where Alor is hiding, then we can work on getting ourselves off this hell hole.”
* * * *
Troy led them back in the direction of the gulley where they’d encountered his adopted tribe of converts. Damon brought up the rear of their expedition, his longest blade drawn and ready for battle. Despite her protests, he’d insisted Lea keep the shock-stick. She’d have more need of it if he or Troy succumbed to the transformation again.
“There are a series of small caves at the bottom of the gully. She hides in those, and when I can
Troy’s dry lips twisted in disgust. “He’s a bastard—even by Braxan standards. But I guess you’ve figured that out. I had originally struck a bargain with Mojar to come with me to treat Darya. We’d agreed on his terms when Alor asked if she could go in his place. He was jealous. I guess he thought I wanted to challenge him, but I didn’t. When he changed the terms of his deal, I made a mistake. I told him what I’d found out about the transformation, trying to blackmail him. I guess he drugged me, and I woke up out here.”
“And what happened to Alor? Did he leave her out here with you?” Damon asked. He’d found Lea’s pants and handed them to her, completely casual and without a glance in her direction.
“She’s alive and in hiding,” Troy answered and Lea’s hopes soared. If the female healer was still somewhere in the jungle, maybe they could find her and still bring her off world with them, since there was no way Mojar would be helping them now. “I’ve been trying to keep the others away from her as best I can. Females are...scarce out here. They usually don’t survive long...” Troy hung his head. Shame made his voice crack. “I’m afraid I haven’t done a good job of protecting her. I’m not strong enough to fight most of the others and a few of them have...”
Lea put a hand on his arm. “It’s okay now. Take us to her. We can all protect her now.”
“How did you find out that electric shock can reverse the transformation?” Damon took up the conversation while Lea slipped into her pants.
“It was an accident. I’d been here a little more than a week, and I was starting to feel it already. The rage, the feeling like I had to run away was already overwhelming. In the middle of the night I wanted to go for a walk, but I couldn’t remember how to work the door lock. I pried the panel off with my bare hands and stuck my fist into the circuits. The shock knocked me across the room. When I woke up, my head was clear again.”
Damon eyed him. “You knew it wasn’t a coincidence.”
Troy shook his head. “I wasn’t sure until a few days later when I started to have ideas about actually taking Alor from Mojar, believing I wanted to own her. I tried a shock-stick on a low setting. It worked. It made me able to think clearly again. I couldn’t believe the solution could be so simple.”
“Having every electrical impulse in your body interrupted at high voltage isn’t really a simple solution.” Damon gave a dry chuckle.
“I suppose you’re right, but after spending months lost in my own head, wandering through this godforsaken jungle, I’d have done anything, believe me. When I told Mojar what I’d discovered, he didn’t react well. I realized I’d uncovered a dirty little Braxan secret.”
Lea’s blood chilled at the thought that Mojar’s actions might be condoned by the rest of the Braxans. He’d make sure they got no help, and there would be no way for them to escape Ambrax with both Troy and Alor.
She swallowed her concerns though, and put on a brave face for Troy. His desperation to return to Darya was evident in the longing expressed in his face. She couldn’t crush his hopes so soon, but how could she promise him he’d survive to see his wife again?
With a forced smile, she offered him her hand and helped him to his feet. “Come on, show us where Alor is hiding, then we can work on getting ourselves off this hell hole.”
* * * *
Troy led them back in the direction of the gulley where they’d encountered his adopted tribe of converts. Damon brought up the rear of their expedition, his longest blade drawn and ready for battle. Despite her protests, he’d insisted Lea keep the shock-stick. She’d have more need of it if he or Troy succumbed to the transformation again.
“There are a series of small caves at the bottom of the gully. She hides in those, and when I can
Similar Books
