Enslaved Read online

  “It’s too late,” he babbled, writhing on the ground. “Too late for her! A member of the Verrak has already been engaged. She has a target on her back—she’s as good as dead!”

  Thrace felt a cold chill wash over him. He knew a little of the Verrak and everything he knew was bad—very bad.

  “What? What the fuck are you talking about?” He grabbed Two by the black leather lapels of his strange coat and dragged him up to stare into his pale face. The stench of rot hung around him strongly, making Thrace’s stomach turn but he held him just the same. “What about the Verrak?” he demanded.

  “They kill—kill without mercy. I took out the contract days ago—she’s as good as dead already,” Two babbled, his single eye filled with a mad, gleaming light.

  “You took out a contract on Trin?” Thrace shook him so hard his metal teeth clicked together. “Answer me, scum!”

  “Not your precious Trin.” Two was giggling again, a sound that grated on Thrace’s nerves. “She’s already taken care of—both of you are. It was as B’Rugh Saw—the easiest way to pull you apart was to push you together.”

  “You did that all right,” Thrace growled. “But if you’re not talking about Trin, then who did you put a contract on?”

  “Her! The mother of the new race! She has two faces and lives on the planet the Kindred guard—her child is the answer to their future! But I’ve taken care of that—there will be no future now. No child and no future. Only death!”

  “What? Two faces?” Thrace shook his head in disgust. “You’re insane. I think the passion berry wine is affecting what little brain you have left.”

  “Ah, but I was much saner before the rot spread—much saner when I asked B’Rugh to See for me.” Two smiled craftily.

  Thrace began to get an uneasy feeling in his gut. He knew that B’Rugh’s people had clairvoyant abilities. They had far reaching second sight but they could use it only three times in their lifetime before the ability left them. Luckily they were a greedy people and mostly used their abilities to further their own ambitions or to forestall their own deaths. But it sounded like Two had somehow convinced his old boss to See for a much greater and more destructive purpose.

  “What are you talking about?” he demanded, shaking Two again. “What did you ask him to See for you?”

  “Why, I asked him how to destroy the people who had destroyed my people—I asked him how to destroy the Kindred.” Two’s spit-shiny metal teeth gleamed in the weak Yonnie Six sun. “And he told me, too. Imagine my surprise when your name came up, my dear Havoc. And your Mistress’s as well.”

  “What do you mean? I’m only distantly related to the Kindred—and what could Trin have to do with them?”

  “I’ll tell you…” Two’s narrow face took on a crafty expression. “I’ll show all that B’Rugh Saw—as long as you promise to kill me and put me out of this never ending misery.”

  “I’ll think about it,” Thrace said shortly. “Now tell me what the fuck you’re talking about.”

  “B’Rugh Saw that you, my dear Havoc, will be the father of a great nation—or your son will. Or would have, had I not torn you and the Lady Trin apart by pushing you together.” Two pulled a mournful face. “Who knew tender lovemaking could be the death knell of such a promising relationship?”

  “Keep your fucking mouth shut about things you don’t understand,” Thrace growled.

  “Oh, but I do understand, my dear Havoc! I understand you’ve been duped into taking me here—duped into leaving the ship. And let me ask you, do you think The Alacrity is still going to be there when you turn around to go back?”

  Thrace felt a cold finger of dread caress his spine but he pushed his doubt aside.

  “Of course it’s going to be there. Trin’s just waiting for me to report that I dropped you off to your friend.”

  “Not friend—scion,” Two corrected. “X is me for all intents and purposes. He has my thoughts, my memories, and best of all, my intentions. I made sure of that when I grew him in the tanks back on my home world.”

  “What—you cloned yourself?” Thrace frowned. He had heard of such things—in fact, some planets in the universe were notorious for illegal cloning. But he couldn’t imagine anyone wanting a clone of the hideous Two.

  “Not cloned exactly. My appearance while perfectly normal for my own world is somewhat…outside the norm of other inhabited planets.” Two smiled widely, his teeth gleaming. “Accordingly I chose a different model to inject my thoughts and memories into. X is everything I am not on the outside—and everything I am on the inside. He will carry on my work when I am gone.” He turned suddenly serious. “But he cannot kill me. I told you, I cannot end myself—and he is me. Which presents a dilemma.”

  “Not for me.” Looking up, Thrace saw the broad figure of Lord X coming over the grass of the landing field, followed closely by the slave attendant who was scampering to keep up with his long strides. “Looks like your clone or scion or whatever you want to call it is here.”

  “So he is.” Two nodded at the approaching X. “Help me, my scion!”

  Without a word, X bent down and grasped the heavy manacles that were clamped around Two’s skinny wrists.

  “Good luck with that,” Thrace said. “Those fucking things are made to hold a Gox. I should know, I wore them for days before I finally—” But the words died in his throat as X snapped the manacles as neatly as if they’d been made of stale bread.

  “You were saying, slave?” he murmured, giving Thrace a disdainful look.

  “What the hell?” Thrace frowned. “Those fucking things are indestructible.”

  “Not for X.” Two grinned. “Did I mention that I endowed him with super strength as well as a host of other qualities? I find it comes in handy—as it did just now.”

  “You—” Thrace began but suddenly Two was up off the ground and reaching for him.

  Thrace thought he was reaching for the blaster in his belt but before he could jump away, Two had grabbed him. Not the blaster though—he grabbed Thrace by the arm, his skinny fingertips digging painfully deep as he stared into Thrace’s eyes.

  “I told you I would show you,” he hissed, his hot breath a rancid gust against Thrace’s cheek. “See now…See for yourself…”

  Suddenly the landing field and all of Yonnie Six was swept away. Thrace blinked and saw that he was someplace new—a small blue and green planet with swirls of white in its atmosphere. He rushed downward and found himself staring at a low, sprawling one story structure which seemed to be made of many interconnecting halls. There was lettering at the end of one hallway but he couldn’t quite make it out—it was in a foreign tongue he didn’t know.

  Walking down one of the echoing halls, which were painted a flat, industrial green, was a young woman with dull blondish-brown hair and pale, washed-out looking blue eyes. She had plain, non-descript features that would be easily forgotten and a full, plump figure that was covered in loose, baggy clothing.

  She was completely nondescript and yet, when she turned her head Thrace thought he saw something—a flash of some other color in her eyes—a burning light that made him draw a harsh breath. Her hair changed too—seeming to flicker from its plain dishwater blonde to a glossy blue-black. Then she turned away and the changes were gone so quickly Thrace was sure he must have imagined them.

  The plain young woman was surrounded by children—young ones that looked to be no more than six or seven cycles old to Thrace. Not much older than the age he had been when his Sire had come to claim him. Was she a teacher or a care giver of some kind? They were clamoring around her but when she raised her hands for silence, they obeyed at once.

  “All right now, class.” In contrast to her plain outer appearance, she had a lovely, rich alto voice so melodious it sent chills down Thrace’s spine. “Let’s all get in line—you know your places.”

  “Yes, Ms. Brooks,” the younglings chorused and formed at once into an orderly line as Thrace watched. Then he became aware