Abducted Read online

  The jewel, I heard both little voices saying in my head. This time it was definitely the Stars and not Sarden. I had a moment to think I might be going crazy—wasn’t hearing voices in your head a pretty definite sign? And then they called to me again. The jewel! It holds us—it holds us captive to the one who is not right!

  The jewel? Frowning I looked up at Hurxx—I had a really close look since he was crushing me against him, under his rather smelly armpit. How could anyone with hair that floppy and shiny smell like they hadn’t taken a bath in a month? And what jewel were the Stars talking about?

  Suddenly the egg-shaped greenish-blue jewel in the center of his necklace caught my eye again and an idea began to form in my mind.

  “Oh, Lord Hurxx,” I purred, looking up at him. “Do you really claim me as your rightful tribute?”

  He looked down at me in apparent surprise.

  “I certainly do, little Pure One. It is my right and duty to claim what is mine as the rightful Rae of Eloim.”

  “I see that now.” I fluttered my lashes at him, trying to flirt even though being so close to him and the wrongness he was putting out in waves made me sick. “You’re so powerful…so rich.”

  “Well yes I am.” He wore a self-satisfied smirk on his pudgy face. “I have all the wealth of Eloim at my fingertips, after all.”

  “I could tell that just by looking at you,” I said, smiling in what I hoped was a bewitching way. “By the fashionable clothing and jewelry you wear.” I let my fingers creep up his chest to the gold chain around his neck. “This especially—we have nothing so fine on my planet. Was it made just for you?”

  I saw Yancy’s eyes widen as he saw where my fingers were going and he stepped forward and muttered something to Hurxx under his breath.

  “Don’t be such a worrier, Yancy,” Hurxx answered, making a shooing gesture at his Councilor with his free hand, the one that wasn’t currently crushing me to him. “You know perfectly well it’s keyed only to me.”

  “But, my Lord—”

  “I especially like this jewel,” I said, my fingers creeping to the oval blue-green jewel. “It’s so special.”

  The moment I touched the jewel, I knew it was the source of the wrongness. My fingertips stung and my eyes watered as I fought to keep from throwing up. Wrong! Wrong, wrong, WRONG! screamed the Stars’ voices inside my head. I wanted to yank my fingers away and go be sick in the corner somewhere.

  Instead, I placed my palm firmly in the center of the egg-shaped stone and pushed in as hard as I could.

  There was a loud crack and a flash, as though a bolt of lightening had suddenly struck down right in the middle of the throne room.

  “What? How—?” Hurxx gasped and staggered back, dragging me with him. Since I was still pinned to his side, I was in just the right position to see it when the gaudy gold chain he was wearing suddenly fell off his neck and clattered to the marble floor.

  And as soon as it did, both the Star of Wisdom and the Star of Compassion flew off Hurxx’s floppy-haired head and went whizzing up into the air to hover over the awe-struck crowd.

  “No! No!” Hurxx finally let go of me, fumbling on his now-bare head desperately. “No, you little bitch!”

  He grabbed me by the throat and squeezed. I gasped and tried to push his hands away but they were too big and he was too strong for me. I kicked instead, aiming for his balls in the ridiculously tight gold brocade trousers.

  I think I might have caught him a glancing blow, because he howled and his fingers loosened just enough for me to take a small sip of air. But then he squeezed again, his eyes filled with rage.

  Great—all I had done was piss him off even more.

  I kicked again but missed him entirely this time. Brilliant white and red stars exploded before my eyes and I could hear myself gasping for air—air I couldn’t get because he was choking me…killing me…

  “Get your hands off my mate, you fuck!”

  Suddenly a big, red fist plowed into Hurxx’s nose. Blood flew and the horribly strong hands finally released me. I staggered backwards and Sellah caught me.

  “Zoe? Are you all right?”

  “I…I think I’m fine.” My voice came out in a thin little whisper and I coughed, trying to get my breath back. My vision was still fading in and out and I had to lean on Sellah’s arm to stay upright.

  Beside the throne, Hurxx and Sarden were still fighting. Although Hurxx wasn’t really putting up much of a fight. Sarden was raining down blows on him, his face a mask of savage, possessive fury and Hurxx was cowering and trying to get away.

  “Have mercy—have mercy!” he cried, trying to shield his face, which was covered in blood, from Sarden’s fists. Some of the palace guards tried to interfere but Grav held them back. He had gotten one of the axe-spears from one of them and was waving it menacingly. From the look on his face, he wanted to go after Hurxx himself but clearly he knew he had to leave him to Sarden.

  “Why should anyone have mercy on you?” Tellum shouted at Hurxx, stepping forward to make himself heard over the excited babble of the crowd. “You who profaned our most sacred rites and rituals with evil and deceit? How did you do it? How did you compel the Stars to stay with you when you had such wicked intent?”

  “The chain…” I coughed and pointed to the broken gold chain lying on the floor before the throne. The oval shaped stone in the center had shattered and a black, noxious smoke was rising from it. “I don’t know what it is but it was…was holding them in place.”

  “How else was I to take the throne?” Hurxx whined, still trying to shield himself from Sarden’s fists. “The Star of Wisdom didn’t want me—it only wanted Sarden! I couldn’t let a half-breed rule Eloim, could I?”

  “What?” Sarden stopped in mid-punch and took a step back, eyeing his cousin warily. “What did you say?”

  “You heard me.” Hurxx straightened up a little, his flattened nose streaming with blood. “From the first moment I touched the Star of Wisdom, at the pre-coronation ceremony, it never wanted me. It asked for you.” He spat. “But I was damned if I’d give the throne to a filthy half-Vorn bastard.”

  “The Star wanted Sarden—which was why you had to construct a device strong enough to hold it in place on your head,” Sellah said, lifting her chin. “Because you knew you weren’t the rightful Rae. I wondered why you had that ugly necklace commissioned. Now we know.”

  “I only did what any true patriot of Eloim would have done.” Hurxx sounded sulky. “In order to keep a half-breed off the throne.”

  “It was not for you to decide who was or was not worthy to wear the Star of Wisdom,” Tellum thundered, glaring at the deposed Rae. “Only the Star itself can make that determination.”

  As if the Stars—which were still hovering high above the crowds—had heard his voice, they both came whizzing down.

  The Star of Wisdom paused for a moment, then settled itself firmly on Sarden’s head.

  “What?” He reached up to touch the gold circlet hesitantly…carefully as though he might be burned. I felt, rather than heard, the Star asking him questions through our link. After a moment he nodded. “Yes,” he said in a low voice. “Yes, I swear it.”

  The crowd murmured in surprise but I didn’t hear or see anyone who sounded unhappy. Well, except for Yancy and a few of the other Councilors who were obviously loyal to the deposed Rae. They were starting to sneak to one side of the throne and I saw Hurxx sidling that way himself—clearly they were trying to take the back way out.

  Grav saw it the same time I did and motioned to the guards.

  “Keep them here,” he growled. “Nobody leaves until this is over.”

  Most of the guards seemed to understand what was going on. They ran to surround the would-be escaping Councilors and the ex-Rae. A few of the crowd murmured but most were still watching Sarden to see what he would do.

  “People of Eloim,” he said, stepping forward and addressing the crowd. “The Sta