Total pages in book: 45
Estimated words: 42969 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 215(@200wpm)___ 172(@250wpm)___ 143(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 42969 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 215(@200wpm)___ 172(@250wpm)___ 143(@300wpm)
She was in the cot nearest to the door and just a few steps took her there. Holding her breath, she dared to pull the door open just an inch so she could see out.
Standing right outside the huge tree that housed the prison were three of the massive treetures. Every one of them had their faces turned up to the sky as the rain beat steadily down on them.
Sylvie’s heart leaped in excitement but she made herself move slowly. She waved a hand to see if any of them would react…but none did. It was like the rain had hypnotized them.
It made her wonder why none of the women had ever tried to escape on a rainy night before. But of course, even if they did get away, where could they go? According to Hersha, the space-net that Barbarous had used to capture their ships had also damaged them beyond repair, so it wasn’t like they could fly away. And how long could they survive, lost in the endless jungle?
Moving quickly and quietly, Sylvie slipped through the motionless guards and made her way around the edge of the compound. She kept to the shadows of the trees, not caring that she was getting soaking wet until she finally made it to the tree where Kross was being held.
To her relief, there were no guards outside. Clearly Barbarous thought the pain walls were enough of a deterrent to keep her Protector from escaping. After feeling around the bark for a moment as she had seen the treetures do, Sylvie found the hidden release and the door swung silently open.
She slipped inside the darkened room, which was lit only by the red light from the pain walls. Kross was lying on the bed, but he wasn’t asleep. His eyes went wide when he saw Sylvie standing there.
She put a finger to her lips and pressed the button on the wall. At once, the wavering red walls of energy that had been enclosing Kross in his prison disappeared, leaving the room in pitch blackness.
Sylvie was going to try to make her way across the room in the dark, but she didn’t have to. A moment after the pain walls went down, Kross was at her side. He buried his face in her hair and breathed in her ear,
“What the fuck are you doing and how did you get in here?”
“It’s raining,” Sylvie murmured back. “It incapacitates the treetures. Come on—let’s get out of here!”
She’d been half afraid that the rain would stop, but it was still pouring steadily when she pushed open the door. She and Kross slipped silently out and headed for the place where they had entered the compound in the first place.
Kross took the lead. Holding her hand, he moved soundlessly forward through the trees and towards the rustling underbrush. It was too dark to see very well, but the big Kindred had much better night vision than Sylvie did. She followed his lead, her heart pounding against her ribs. They were doing it—they were actually escaping!
“There it is,” Kross murmured, keeping his voice low despite the rain. “I can see the opening up ahead. You go through first and I’ll follow.”
“Can you get through it?” Sylvie asked anxiously.
He nodded.
“I’ll force my way through if I have to but I want to be sure you’re safely through first.”
Sylvie was just ducking to go through the small hole in the underbrush when a cold, horribly familiar voice stopped her in her tracks.
“I don’t think so—neither of you is going anywhere.”
18
SYLVIE
Sylvie froze, a cold hand gripping her heart.
Oh no…no, please! she thought desperately.
“I thought the two of you might take this opportunity to try and get away—it really is so inconvenient the way my treetures react to inclement weather,” the familiar voice continued. “Turn around now, both of you. Or I shoot.”
“Don’t do it—go Sylvie—just go!” she heard Kross growl. “Get back to the ship—I’ll take care of him.”
But she couldn’t do it—she couldn’t leave Kross to get shot trying to save her. Reluctantly, Sylvie turned around.
Standing in the rain with a cold grin on his thin-lipped face was Dr. Barbarous. The mad scientist was holding a sleek silver blaster that looked utterly lethal and he had it trained on both of them.
Kross had turned too and he moved quickly to put Sylvie behind him.
“Let us go,” he growled. “Or you’re going to be fucking sorry!”
“I think it’s you who are going to be sorry for trying to escape my hospitality without so much as a ‘thank you,’” Barbarous purred.
Almost before he finished speaking, a round silver shape came from behind his back and darted forward.
It must be the collection droid, Sylvie thought, but she had never seen it move so fast. Before she could even shout a warning, it had zipped forward and stabbed Kross with a needle.