“I can’t go with you.”
He shook his head. “Okay. Then at least let me keep my first promise to you and take you to the Hub. I will buy you a ticket to Terra myself, and you can go back to your life.”
That was exactly what I intended to do. Go home. But not with him, not on his ship.
I looked over at the Nakkoni, who sensed my gaze. He cocked an eyebrow in a silent question.
“Will you take me to the Hub?” I asked.
He looked at Thev’rar, then back at me, and shrugged. He didn’t know what to say. I wasn’t just a slave anymore; I was the orc’s mate. He was hesitant to tread on this dangerous ground. He’d seen what he’d done to the Widians, and he surely didn’t want to become the next recipient of his vengeance.
“I will help you carry your brother’s body in return,” I offered. “And the bags, too.”
“Angie, don’t do this,” Thev’rar said. “You can’t trust this petty creature.”
“And I can trust you?!” I whipped around and fixed him with an intense gaze. “Look around you! Look at what you did! How can I trust you?!”
“Because I would never... ever...”
“Please stop, Thev. And just let me go. Let me go.”
“I’ll take you to the Hub,” the Nakkoni finally said. “If you help me carry my brother’s body to my ship.”
“You, shut up!”
I saw the rage in Thev’s eyes, and I moved closer to the lizard man. When he saw that, he calmed down.
“He will betray you,” he insisted. “He will sell you the first chance he gets.”
“No, I won’t,” the Nakkoni said.
At this point, all I knew for sure was that I couldn’t trust anyone. Of course I couldn’t trust the Nakkoni, but at least he wouldn’t turn into a murderous beast if he got mad. What I had seen here, in this cave, had changed me forever. From now on, I was going to do things my way.
“Thev, I’m going, and you can’t stop me.”
Hoping he wouldn’t do anything stupid, I gently slid the dagger into my backpack and went to help the lizard man. He’d filled three huge bags, and they were impossibly heavy. He gave me two of them, and he slung the third over his body. Then, he carefully crouched down and lifted his brother. I had no choice but to struggle with the two bags and follow the Nakkoni out of the cave.
I dragged them more than carried them. The alien was stronger than me, but even so, I could see it wasn’t easy for him to carry his brother’s body. If I wanted to get off this cursed island on a ship other than Thev’s, then I had to do this. I had to carry the heavy bags, push them and pull them as best as I could.
“How far is your spaceship?” I asked. “Do we have to cross the mountains?”
“No. It’s the same way we came, then through the forest until we reach the beach.”
I was glad the Nakkoni had landed in a better spot than Thev. Sure, it was harder to get to Thev’s ship from where we were, which probably meant it was safer, but right now, what mattered was to not die trying to cross those mountains again, and with the insane burden I was carrying.
We walked in silence. I was grateful he set a reasonable pace, also because that told me his species wasn’t as strong, and fast, and deadly like Thev’s species. Maybe I still had a chance to get out of this alive and with my freedom. I had a weapon now, and seeing how one of the Nakkoni had died from a single well-aimed stab, it could actually be of use in a moment of crisis.
I could do this. I just had to be resilient, fight to survive. I was a big girl. I didn’t need anyone to take care of me. Sure, it had been nice to know I didn’t have to lift a finger when I was with Thev, and he’d saved me more than once, but that didn’t mean I was helpless.
I could do this. I could get back home.