Beast Planet 1: Captive Surrender (15 page)

Two other women were collared before we were dragged from the room.

“You think they're goanna kills us because we didn’t get pregnant?” I looked at Sarah, seeing her cheeks glistening with her tears.
Her face pale in the artificial lights
.
I always admired her curvy figure and lovely honey-wheat, blond hair. She was just as devoted to her
Zakiu
as the rest of us.

“I’m sorry, Sarah, I know they said they’d give us four more months, but
Druel
are unpredictable, cruel bastards.”

Right now, deep down, I didn’t care. I wanted with unmeasured desperation to be back in
Morrdrook’s
arms, telling him how much I love him. The tears flowed more freely
while
the Octo bots lead us to our fate.

* * * *

The four of us were led to a tall pole, attached to a single, four foot round platform, facing
us
away from each other,
and then
they bound us with a soft, leather material. No matter how hard I yanked, all I managed to do was chafe my wrists.

Machines clicked and the platform rose, up through a hole, bars surrounding us. I glanced beyond and froze.

A scream lodged in my throat. Oh, my god. So, this was our fate. Entertainment for the
Druel
, as they watched the Hurl beasts tear the flesh from our bodies and crunch on our bones.

The other women whimpered when they caught sight of the huge beasts stalking around the large cage.

Hurl beasts, three times the size of elephants, but lean and gaunt, circled our cage on four muscular legs; their fore legs were noticeably longer with deadly claws at the ends. Their heads were narrow snouts, almost skeletal, apart from stretched black, leather skin and small, fleshy patches billowing near
their
throat when the creatures took huffing breaths
and t
heir long thick tails whipped back and forth. My mouth hung open when my gaze slid over their various, razor-like spikes on their tails. The spikes didn’t stop at the tail, but were on various parts of their limbs, down along the back spine and shoulders. A greenish drool dripped from brown stained, dagger-like teeth. They circled our cage, snapping at each other, their
gleaming red eyes hungry. No doubt they wanted to devour us piece by piece.

The platform kept rising, up into the centre of the arena, plac
ing us
high above and almost level with the chattering,
Druel
crowd.

Fucking brilliant, used as fodder in their stupid, cruel games, because we didn't become pregnant.

A cheer went up and I squinted against the sun in my face. In the shadows I saw the doors of the arena open and out walked all the remaining fighters. My heart caught in my throat when I caught sight of
Morrdook
. His shoulders pulled back, his head held high, his gaze scann
ing
the arena, lifting when he spotted the pole. His piercing gaze zeroed in on where we were tied.

I saw anger darken his features, his hand tightened on the long, jagged blade, raising it towards me. A sob tore from my throat. Even from this distance, I saw his raw determination.
Like
the first time he fought to win me, he was coming for me again.

“They’ll save us,” Sarah spoke. “I love my
Barooki
, he won’t let me down.” The confidence in Sarah’s voice gave me the
hope I desperately needed. I knew he would never abandon me.

The fighters spread out through the arena. Preparing for the fight, Morrdrook and three other
Zakiu
walked closer to our pole. I saw their minds at work, trying to figure out a way to reach us.

An announcement in
Druel
language boomed across the arena and the crowd cheered. The blast of a garbled horn made me almost jump out of my skin. The ground rumbled and one trap door on the right of me slid open, out leapt the first of the Hurl beasts, snapping and snarling, quickly followed by his equally large friend. The beasts wasted no time in advancing on the nearest fighters.

Weapons held high
,
two
Fraxi
slashed out at the first beast when it tried to swipe him with his claw. I watched in horror
when
the beast swung sideways, using its massive body to block and at the same time, use its thick tail to
strike out
at the
Fraxi’s
legs. The
Fraxi
jumped a moment too late and was flipped up onto his back, but rolled before the beast turned, trying to jump on him. Two
Zakiu
moved in from the beast
'
s left and two
Fraxi
charged the beast's flank. The beast used his body like a
battening ram and every fighter went flying backwards, landing heavily on the sand. Like lighting, the creature pounced on the nearest downed fighter, a
Gillip
. His strangled scream barely heard over the roar of the other beast
,
cornered by eight fighters. Green blood sprayed across the sand
from
the creature
tearing
into the
Gillip
like butter, his wet insides spilling out
,
cleaved into halves by the beast’s sharp jaws.

The
Druel
cheered over the death. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying hold down the sudden bile rising in my throat; the gruesome sight forever burned into my mind.

My stomach dropped and my eyes popped open when I realized the pole we were tied to was lowered, and then stopped.

“What the hell are they doing? If we’re the prize
,
why are they lowering us?” Rita screeched, panic lacing her tone.

I didn’t know, but my vocal cords
felt
frozen. Wildly, I searched for Morrdrook, witnessing a
Fraxi
being crushed, the sound of his bones snapping making bile rise
again
in my throat.

More cheers
from the crowd while watching
another
Fraxi
me
e
t a brutal end and the pole again moved. I curled my fingers around the
leather-like
bonds. My mind, franticly trying to figure out what the
Druel
game was, besides watching the fight against the Hurl beasts and the gladiators.

Sarah suddenly screamed, wailed and thrashed against her bonds. Glancing around
I
saw why.
Barooki
, Sarah’s guy, was flung high into the air by the Hurl beast and he landed heavily on the railing at an awkward angle. His eyes wide and blue blood flowed out of a gaping head wound.  I knew there was no chance of him surviving such a blow. He fell to the sands unmoving and the pole dropped again.

Shit,
now I realized e
very time a fighter
died
, we were brought closer to the reach of the Hurl beasts.

Sarah sagged against her bonds, sobbing; there was nothing I could do to comfort her. Trying not to give into the tears threatening to spill down my face, I again tried to find Morrdrook,
finally
spotting him with a group of
Zakiu
. They advanced, running towards the beast, then suddenly split up, yelling and hollering
loudly. The beast swiped out at Morrdrook. I startled when he didn’t move out of the way fast enough, the claw clipping his side and sending him sprawling backwards. In a fluid flip, he jumped back to his feet. I saw the blood oozing down his side, but his sole focus was on the beast. Morrdrook rejoined the loud hollering, the beast didn’t know which direction to turn to, or who to attack next, the fighters
continuing to dance
around it.

Morrdrook used the distraction to run, sliding like a baseball player home, his big blade hit at a spot on the back of the beast's leg. An ear-splitting howl from the wounded beast made me clench my teeth. Thick, black fluid gushed from the
creatures
hind leg.
Nular
, slid in on the other side, slashing at the beast's other leg.

My breath caught in my throat when Morrdrook barely rolled out of the way, the beast crashing down in the sand.
It's
tail thrashed and it's jaws snapped at anyone who tried to get near. The tail
whipped
out and again landed heavily on
Morrdrook’s
shoulder.
Makkiu
barrelled forward and in one
, forceful
downward stroke of his
blade
,
severed the beast’s tail from his body. It howled again, trying to get up. I swear my
heart stopped beating seeing Morrdrook lay motionless under the tail.
Nular
was quick to shove it off and I breathed a sigh of relief when
Nular
helped Morrdrook up off the red sand.

The pole again dropped. I turned to see the other Hurl beast ripping into another
Fraxi
. A
Zakiu
charged while the beast's head was down, but it shot up lighting fast, catching the
Zakiu
directly in the chest with one of
it's
spikes. He was tossed up and flung sideways, his blue blood flowing
into
the red sands.

Rita’s devastated scream followed and I realised the newly downed
Zakiu
was her man.

The pole dropped again and I knew we were now within reach of the Hurl beasts.

Rita joined Sarah sobbing together. The
H
url beast backed away from the fighters and turned. I felt my eyes widen when
I noticed
our pole and the sacrificial lambs laid out, unable to put up a fight.

Oh, god no. Desperately, I glanced around and spotted Morrdrook,
Nular
and
Makkiu
swinging their blades at the head of the downed Hurl beast. More black blood splattered with them delivering the killing blows.

I sucked in a deep breath and screamed, “Morrdrook!”

His head whipped up, his gaze and mind assessing the situation in a heartbeat. He leapt o
f
f the dead beast and ran towards us. The others following close behind. Only a handful of fighters still stood. Every able bodied fighter joined in to attack the remaining beast. Again they used the yelling tactic, to draw its attention away from us.

It worked, thank god. Every last, standing fighter struck out from different angles. Some were knocked back, the beast fighting viciously, but it was outnumbered. A
Gillip
managed get under it and slice at an obvious weak spot.
Morrdook
didn’t wait for the creature to fall; he came in under it and thrust his sword up into the
creatures
throat. The power behind his blow had the sword sticking out the other end. The beast was dead before it tumbled to the sands.

Chapter Thirteen

I couldn't believe it was over; they did it. They defeated the beasts, but it didn't come without cost.

The pole was lowered until it reached the arena floor. Without waiting Morrdrook climbed up onto the platform and took my face in his hands. I stared into his eyes.

“I love you, Morrdrook, I love you!” I blurted out, the tears spilling down my face.

“You are mine.” He growled, before his lips possessively and brutally crushed against
me
, plundering my mouth.

Total and utter surrender swept over me, melting against his mouth. Everything I was, I gave to him.

“Always.”
I whispered, breathlessly, when he pulled back. He unhooked and pulled a knife from his belt, cutting the straps holding me down. I almost fell into his arms, but caught myself, gently putting
my arms around his shoulders, not wanting to add strain
to
his injuries.

“It is over, we go home.” He started to tug me from the platform, but I resisted.

“What about the others; we can’t leave them?” I glanced over to the two sobbing women. Maggie's
Zakiu
already retrieved her.

“Give me your knife.” I held out my hand. Morrdrook, without question handed me the hilt of his blade.

I pushed away from him, reaching up and cutting the women down, pulling them into my arms. “I know your men have died, but you know the
Zakiu
are
honorable
. Quickly, come with
us,
let another one of them claim you, so the
Druel
cannot slaughter you as they have everyone else here.”