The Smuggler's Radiant (Renegades Book 2) Read online

  Makios rushed forward. Tolomus stepped out from behind the Amaran and pressed the stun stick to him. For a moment, his whole body was seized by the jolt of energy flowing through him. When Tolomus finally withdrew the stick, the only thing for Makios to do was hit the floor.

  The Amaran moved, shifting into his sight and pulling Rhona with him. He turned her and pressed the side of her face to the bars, then pulled at her clothing and bared the creamy white skin of her shoulder. He pressed a sharp nail to her. She cried out as he drew the nail along her skin, cutting her. The wound wept in crimson lines.

  The Amaran watched her face, enraptured.

  ‘It’s an odd truth, that the face of pain resembles the face of pleasure. Don’t you think?’ He pressed deeper, rooting his finger around in the wound. Rhona cried out. ‘She could be climaxing right now.’ He looked at Makios and smiled.

  ‘I’m going to vrokking kill you,’ Makios said through teeth clenched in pain.

  The Amaran laughed. His lip twisted in disgust, and he smelled Rhona.

  ‘She smells like durv,’ he said, throwing her at one of the Raqhan, then turning to walk away. His Raqhan guard followed one of them, pulling Rhona with him.

  She fought and swore with every step until the lift closed and carried her away.

  ‘Deyuul, tell me you have them,’ Makios thought.

  ‘Almost there,’ came the reply.

  ‘Now that the drama is over,’ the Potuun female said, ‘I’ve paid for an Aavani.’

  Makios opened his eyes and watched her saunter over to the cell.

  ‘Are you going to fight?’ she purred at Decimen as her eyes grazed over his body.

  Decimen glanced at Makios. A wave of emotion was quickly suppressed, and he looked at the Potuun female, approaching the cell with both hands behind his back—a closed-mouthed smile on his face.

  ‘No, mistress,’ he nodded in a small bow of deference.

  She smiled, seemingly pleased by the gesture. ‘I seem to have gotten the better deal.’ She laughed and looked at Tolomus, who nodded.

  ‘The humans are desirable, but wild. The Aavani know their place.’ Tolomus opened the cell. The Potuun led Decimen away. He looked at Makios lying on the floor. Acceptance and grief warred in his eyes.

  Makios bent his neck to follow him to the lift.

  ‘Did you care about the human, Kathen?’ Tolomus said as soon as the lift doors closed. Makios looked at him. He hadn’t hated the Cealin as much as he hated Tolomus.

  ‘Do you know how many females and adalan I’ve provided Drexan Thalos?’ He smirked. ‘He goes through them. Keeps swearing he’ll breed them, but somehow, he never manages it before they die.’

  ‘I am going to vrokking kill you!’ Makios shouted at him.

  Tolomus grinned a cruel smile and left.

  ‘Deyuul?’

  ‘We’re almost there. The Amaran’s moving away,’ Deyuul said. ‘We’re chasing.’

  ‘Launch a tracker at the Potuun’s ship.’

  ‘We can’t, it’s on the other side of The Crucible.’

  ‘As soon as they get the Amaran vessel, turn around and get the Potuun.’

  ‘Will do.’

  ‘Rhona?’ A voice called from the other side of the chamber. ‘Rhona?’

  ‘Did they take her, Kathen?’ another voice called. This one was not human.

  ‘They took her,’ he said. But I’m getting her back.

  ‘Oh god,’ a human voice called after sicri had passed. ‘They took Rhona.’

  The news echoed through the chamber, the words reverberating in Makios skull.

  They took Rhona.

  They’re all going to die.

  The engines came back to life, and the ship continued towards the planet.

  At the point of stun sticks, they were chained and walked out into the cold morning sun of Ilben on Addis. Three and four-story houses stood on the edge of an enormous lake. Ilben was surrounded by mountains, with the port resting on a series of carved ledges. A green forest surrounded the mountains and covered much of the base. The air here was clean, fresh and scented with saltwater from the massive lake below. That was blended with the cloying scent of the pollen from the trees. Far beneath him, ships sailed across the water, which reflected the dawn sun into Makios’s eyes.

  Single file, they were forced to walk down several hundred steps, while Tolomus and his core crew took the lift down the side of the mountain. When they reached the bottom, they were led down the hills, through the town and to the sports stadium where the auction would take place.

  As they walked through the streets, red eyes watched them from dark grey-green skin like they were criminals.

  ‘Deyuul?’

  Makios hadn’t heard from Deyuul since he’d instructed him to get to the Potuun vessel. He was trying not to panic, sure the Uunda would be there as promised.

  They walked across the cold dirt ground. Cages were set up, and a half-dozen slavers were already in the space, the pens around them filled with their slaves.

  The Fedhith handed a manifest to the auctioneer and Makios, and the other captives were walked to a group of empty cages.

  They were unchained, one by one, and re-chained to the bars as individuals. That would make each of them easier to retrieve without risking a group attack.

  Where the vrok is Deyuul?

  ‘You look stressed, Kathen.’

  Makios looked down to his right at a pale orange-skinned male with bright orange eyes that looked back up at him. His face was surrounded by white-blond hair. He was grinning up at Makios like they were on a day out instead of chained up at a slave auction.

  ‘Been hearing you talking to your human. Heard you roaring and swearing for rotes before that.’

  Makios recognised the voice as the male who had called to him when they took Rhona.

  ‘You’re the one that told the human she was gone?’

  The orange male nodded. ‘Doug?’ He looked behind Makios. Makios twisted to see a dark-brown-skinned human male looking at him with black eyes. ‘Kathen,’ the orange male pointed at Makios.

  There was recognition in the human’s dark eyes now.

  ‘You looked after Rhona?’

  Makios nodded.

  The male shook his head, grief in his eyes. ‘Thank you. Rhona means a lot to our community.’

  Makios frowned. She was special—he had seen that—but why to a community?

  ‘We’re traders,’ the male said when he saw his face. ‘A family. Rhona’s mum, Amy, her family were one of the first trading families in our system. They carry a lot of weight with their words, to us, to the authorities. Rhona’s dad, Anders, he speaks for us. He uses his wife’s authority to represent us. They listen to him. Rhona, she’s strong like them. Outspoken. Unafraid. She was born on Mars, but she was made by the black.’ He shook his head. ‘This’ll break Anders and Amy. That’s bad for the whole family.’

  Makios understood. They were community leaders; Rhona would have taken her father’s place someday. It was important—community was important. That this male stood here, concerned for people he might never see again, garnered Makios’s respect.

  There was a gap in the cages through which he could see the auctioneer’s stage, along with the platform where he would be expected to stand. Where these humans would be expected to stand.

  ‘Hurry up, Deyuul,’ he whispered.

  ‘Who’s Deyuul?’

  Makios looked down at the little orange male. He felt himself grimace and looked around. The brown-skinned human was watching him, but everyone else was deeply involved in conversation.

  ‘One of my crew,’ he whispered.

  The orange male’s eyes opened. ‘You have a ship? Are they buying you?’

  Makios shook his head. ‘Tolomus already has a buyer for me.’

  The orange male looked confused.

  ‘The Fedhith,’ Makios clarified.

  The male shrugged.

  ‘The purple male.’ Makios w
as getting annoyed now.

  ‘The slaver?’

  Makios nodded. This conversation was hard work.

  ‘Where do you come from? How do you not know one of the most prominent slaving races and why have I never seen one of your kind before.’

  The orange male grinned. ‘I’m Sindaal,’ he said.

  Makios’s eyes widened in recognition of the species. He knew the space well. It was one of the worlds that bordered the Protectorate space where Alethia’s planet was, where Tessa, the planet named after her mother, was. Where the Protectorate had set up home and become the Tessan Protectorate.

  It was illegal, by Sindaal law, to fly in their space without a Sindaal trade licence, and it was unlawful for one of their people to leave their space.

  ‘How did you get out here?’ Makios asked.

  ‘I escaped.’ He grinned again. He seemed proud of himself.

  ‘You didn’t do well at that,’ Makios said.

  ‘Depends on who you ask.’ His grin widened. ‘I just met a Kathen who has an escape plan.’ His eyebrows rose. ‘You do have an escape plan, right?’

  Makios shook his head.

  ‘Right.’ The Sindaal waggled his eyebrows.

  ‘Right.’

  ‘Thought so.’ The Sindaal nodded. ‘Sidha.’ He jerked a thumb. It didn’t go far because of the restraints.

  ‘Makios.’

  ‘Doug,’ the human said behind him.

  Makios nodded at the human in acknowledgement.

  ‘I can enter or crash any computer system,’ Sidha said. ‘I can pilot, help out in engineering. I can cook.’

  ‘What are you doing?’ Makios looked at the small orange male.

  ‘I’m interviewing.’ He grinned again.

  ‘I’m not looking.’ Makios looked back out of the bars.

  ‘You’re going to hire me.’ The Sindaal was arrogant.

  Makios shook his head. He thought about the job Thanesh had sent him on. The job he had yet to do. He hated to admit it, but they would probably need someone who could hack into the station's system when they got there.

  ‘We’ll see,’ Makios said.

  ‘Yeah, you’re going to hire me.’ The Sindaal nodded. ‘Any plans on how you’re going to get your girl back?’

  ‘My people put trackers on the Amaran and the Potuun ships,’ he said. He hoped that were true. He hoped Deyuul and the crew hadn’t been blasted out of space for attempting it. What if they had? What if he were here alone?

  What would happen to Rhona if he didn’t rescue her?

  The Amaran had shown up alone, with no adalan. If he had been looking for a bond-mate for him and his adalan partner, they would have been with him. Amaran’s couldn’t breed without all three genders, and both of them needed to feel the bond for that to happen. Whatever this Drexan Thalos had planned for Rhona, it wasn’t good.

  ‘Deyuul!’ he screamed in his head.

  A murmur of noise began. Makios and Sidha looked around at the sudden influx of different aliens, most Devori, walking around them.

  ‘I guess the auction’s open then,’ Sidha said. He backed away from the bars as far as his restraints allowed.

  Makios looked around, looking for his people in the crowd. But the throng of aliens was thick. It swarmed, moving through the cages, murmuring, coveting, assessing. Aliens looked him over and moved on, pulled at humans, dragging them to the bars where they poked at them.

  ‘What happens now?’ the Sindaal asked. His face had gone pale.

  ‘Now they look around the cages for a while. Then the auction will begin.’

  ‘And when do your friends get here?’

  Makios shook his head. ‘Any time.’

  Sidha nodded. It seemed to be a nervous habit.

  Crowds swarmed around his cage.

  Devori, Vikith, Goedan, Huan, Raqhan, Bentari. He recognised an Ajnia with his big horns and digitigrade feet. A graceful long-necked Nemari walked through the crowd and looked at him with four black eyes, one pair above the other. They were founding members of the IGC, and while the IGC allowed for slavery, as members of the Tessan Protectorate, they had vowed it off.

  A blue-skinned Horran, bone protrusions growing out of his cheekbones, chin and temple, looked at him through slits for pupils and instantly dismissed him.

  Four Hieladan stopped in front of him; they balanced on their long tails, their humanoid bodies swaying in front of him. There was one red, a blue, a black and a small green. On their world, their colours were at war. The fact they were here together meant they were from the Calidon Crime Syndicate, which probably meant Adalth, their leader, was nearby. If they were the ones who’d bought him, he would be able to bargain his way out. Adalth was a reasonable Hieladan when he wasn’t crossed.

  The crowd thickened. People looked at him and left. The crowd thinned, and while the stragglers were still looking around, the auction was called to start.

  ‘I hate to ask, but were any of them your crew?’

  Makios shook his head. ‘Deyuul?’ Nothing came back. Makios felt his throat constrict.

  He looked through the cages behind him, at the stage where the auctioneer was talking. Makios had been to many auctions; this was the first time he had ever been in this position.

  The first lot was called.

  The first slave was brought to the stage, and the bidding began.

  Deyuul’s head appeared out of the crowd, looking at him.

  Deyuul was looking at him.

  ‘Oh, thank vrok,’ Makios breathed.

  ‘They’re here?’

  Makios nodded.

  ‘As you say, thank vrok.’ The Sindaal sounded as grateful as Makios felt. ‘They like to keep you guessing, these friends.’

  ‘Deyuul?’

  Deyuul shook his head and indicated the stage. Makios moved around and saw a red-haired Luadaal standing near the auctioneer. Some Luadaal were slightly telepathic. They couldn’t read minds, but they could sense intent. Deyuul was probably blocking him, but direct mind-to-mind access would be detectable regardless.

  Makios nodded at Deyuul, who sank back into the crowd and disappeared. If Makios hadn’t known he was there, he would never have spotted him. That was until the crowd parted, and an Ivoresh female walked into view. She winked at Makios then turned back to the stage.

  Makios smiled. Any moment now.

  ‘What is it?’ The Sindaal leaned into him.

  ‘Keep watching.’ Makios indicated the gap in the cages with a nod of his head.

  A few moments passed.

  ‘What are we waiting for?’ Sidha’s head was moving from side to side as he stared through the gap. He pushed into Makios to get a better view.

  Makios opened his mouth to speak, then saw that Sidha’s hands were unchained. ‘Your hands?’

  Sidha looked down and then up at Makios with amusement on his face.

  ‘Oh yeah. Forgot I did that.’

  ‘How?’ Makios shook his head. ‘Forget that. Do me.’

  Makios held his hands out.

  Sidha looked around and pulled something out of the cuff of his clothing.

  ‘A crew of Temerin smuggled me off my homeworld,’ Sidha said as he tinkered with the lock. ‘Taught me everything I know.’

  ‘Why did they do that?’ Makios regretted asking immediately.

  ‘The ship’s muscle was a male called Kentor.’ Sidha shivered. ‘The things that Temerin did to me.’ He shook his head. ‘Someday, I plan to go back, so he can do them again’ He winked at Makios with a grin on his face. ‘He was as big as you.’

  Makios chuckled despite himself, it turned to a sigh of relief when the cuffs came free.

  ‘Great, now do everyone else.’

  Sidha nodded. He glanced at the gap through which the first auction was ending and moved on.

  ‘Sold!’ the auctioneer called.

  A series of explosions rocked the outside walls of the pit they were in. Screams picked up where the explosions left off. Sidha looked
up from freeing Doug, his mouth open in shock.

  Makios allowed a small smile to upturn the corners of his mouth. ‘Nobody’s hurt,’ Makios assured him when he saw Sidha look up at him from the corner of his eyes. ‘They’re designed to be scary.’

  ‘Vrok these slave-owning scum. They deserve everything they get,’ Sidha snapped.

  The crowd was surging now, back out through the cages, towards the gates.

  Deyuul appeared on the other side of the bars. He pressed something to the cage lock which sprung open.

  ‘About vrokking time,’ Makios snapped. He took the device from Deyuul, who pressed a gun into his hand, and moved on to another cell.

  ‘Everyone, stay with us. We have a ship. We’re getting you out!’ Makios called out.

  He worked down the line and freed his cage, watching Deyuul, Dabin, Vella and Vanoor doing the same in other cages.

  Vanoor was Fenion, like the one who helped kill Rhona’s uncle. He would have to handle that when he got her back.

  The crowds were clearing now. Security for the venue filtered through and saw the escaping slaves.

  ‘Sidha, you’re hired. Free the rest.’

  Sidha’s face lit up, and he nodded. ‘You got it, boss.’ He smiled.

  ‘Deyuul, incoming,’ he called to the Uunda. ‘Vanoor, keep freeing. Everyone else, with me.’

  He strode forward and fired at the Devori guard.

  ‘Tolomus!’ he shouted. ‘Where are you?’ He knew the Fedhith wouldn’t run from his slaves, the explosions or his revenge against Makios.

  Makios felt Deyuul slide a suggestion to find cover into his mind. He threw the urge to follow it off and ran towards the Devori. Shots were fired all around him as his team struggled to cover him, but Makios spotted dark-purple skin behind a large, stone water fountain in one corner of the arena.

  ‘Makios, another set of explosions are due to go off. You’re running towards them.’

  ‘Delay them!’ he roared.

  Makios saw three Devori guards hiding behind one of the cages and fired. One went down, one ran, the third fired back.

  ‘We can’t,’ Deyuul’s voice echoed in his mind. ‘They are on a timer, not remote.’

  ‘Goddess damned, Deyuul, I want the Fedhith.’