Page 16 of Theirs to Crave
I rolled into a crouch, my heart thundering as I searched for the source of the sound. My eyes landed on Yin, and I fell back in horror.
Xe stood hunched over a small, crumpled blue figure, keening as if xyr world had ended.
No, no, por favor ¡No!
Chapter 5
Estrella
Ilya’s death eclipsed any relief we might have felt at our miraculous survival. The question of “what happens next” echoed through the ruined dungeon like the taunts of an evil ghost, but shock held us by the throats, and we couldn’t speak of the future. In hushed voices, we confirmed only that no one else was badly hurt.
Then we held vigil.
Yin rocked xyr child’s body, xyr song of grief broken and endless. Salat and Therry flanked xem, statue still, their throats pulsing in a mournful chorus.
Tears ran unheeded down my face as I knelt. I prayed that Ilya would find xyr way to xyr ancestors. I grieved for Yin. And I feared for the rest of us, the dread so large and encompassing that I couldn’t find the edges of it.
Mariano’s rage wouldn’t let him be still. He climbed the cell wall to the jagged gash in the ceiling, looking for a way out. But it was too narrow, and all he got for his efforts was a new assortment of bloody scrapes.
The only warning that the next stage of our nightmare had come was a high electrical buzzing.
I slammed to the ground, my back arching as every muscle contracted from the load the collar sent through me. The surge didn’t last long, but try as I might, I couldn’t move except in jerky twitches. Through the watery veil of pain, I caught enough flashes to know the others were also down.
A sharp grinding sound assaulted my ears, then the scratching, tapping sound of the bugs’ feet. I saw sparks from the corner of my eye and twisted in time to see Shane dragged from his cell.
More sparks, then Mariano was pulled away. I shouted and reached for him, but one of the bug’s feet slammed onto my forearm, pinning me in place. Agony radiated from the spot.
I sobbed when the pressure finally released, only to cry out again when I was roughly lifted and carried a few jolting steps. The bug tossed me carelessly onto the groaning heap that was my brother and Shane. More sparks flew, and I twisted in time to see one of the bugs lasering through the door of Ria’s cell. Another bug loomed above us, pointing a small gray device in our direction.
Ria came hurtling towards us, and I curled my body to catch her. Damn, the woman was solid.
One after another, they piled us together. If we spoke or moved, we were electrocuted. So, we stayed still, twitching with aftershocks. Waiting.
The fantasy I had of the bugs writhing in a puddle of acid Quoosalk spit withered and died as each of their limp bodies joined the pile—ugly rubber-like muzzles strapped to their faces.Our captors ignored Ilya completely. Xe looked so small, lying there alone in the dirty cell, my heart broke for a second time.
“Anybody hurt bad?” Shane asked, his voice barely more than a breath.
The bugs—only two of them—were having some kind of argument, waving their spindly arms and hissing at each other. They were each loaded down with packs and strange devices, probably everything they could salvage from this wreck.
“I’ll live.” Ria winced, horrified by the clearly automatic answer, and her eyes flickered to Yin.
Xe wasn’t listening. Xyr world held only grief, and Ilya.
Salat shook xyr head, silver eyes dark with sorrow.
I tested my left arm, already swollen and bruised where the pinche bicho stomped on me. Moving it hurt like hell, but I could do it. “Nothing that won’t heal.”
The others reported the same, and I blew out a breath. A jangling in my chest eased the slightest amount.
Ria spoke without moving her lips. “Did you see the gray box? The one that bug kept pointing at us?”
“They both have one,” Shane confirmed. “Strapped to their upper left forearms. Think they control the collars?”
“Yes,” hissed Mariano. “And I think they’re directional. If we scatter, I don’t think they can get all of us.”
“Divide and conquer it is, then,” Ria whispered grimly.
Cass asked a question, but I wasn’t listening anymore. My eyes kept straying back to Ilya’s still, small body. A heavy pressure settled on my chest. Moving painfully slowly to avoidthe bugs’ attention, I reached for Yin’s hand, stilling when my fingers brushed xyrs.