Raven Tide

10: Hollow (Raven Tide)

"Vohx′he Vo'zuie!" A large male Zhaguai Elder with broken horns spat a rancid loogie in my face.

His markings were incoherent and unfamiliar and the spot on his forehead that should bear his clan's mark was long since scalped and scarred over.

He was a Wayward Hollow. A Zhaguai devoid of honor. As well as the six other disheveled males lurking around the station and the cargo hold.

They were Zhaguai who abandoned the code and relished in bloodlust.

"Where do you want her, Gar'mol?" One of the subordinates shouted from behind me.

I was stripped down to nothing and chained standing up to a large pipe with my hands clamped in metal behind my back. Chyani was in another room gagged and tied up.

There were no female Zhaguai among their numbers. The station was empty except for a dozen headless bodies strung up down the hall.

Silosa Outpost crew and scientists were all dead!

"Lay her out over there," Gar'mol, the Hollow Elder, salivated in front of my face. He was greying from head to toe with crusted blue-tipped long quills and buggy yellow eyes.

I hated listening to Chyani's terrified whimpers, but our survival depended on me maintaining my composure.

I had explained many aspects of the Nexus to her, but I neglected to warn her about the hazard of Wayward Hollows.

"A fine catch," Gar'mol scratched my spikey scalp. "Newly Dreaded with those Jahaa blasphemers and a mongrel at that!"

I didn't flinch at the dribble of my own blood.

It was known that many zealots despised the inclusion of planet Menthla into the Nexus and loathed the idea of other species joining the Eternal Bloodline. To the backward orthodox, my existence was an insult. Even to those who were long since banished.

"It's good you're finally awake, Raven Tide," Gar'mol cackled. "Any longer and we would've started entertaining ourselves without you."

The vile Elder flipped out a switchblade and poked the tip of one of my long white ears.

Growling was pointless.

"She's slathered in this pup's musk," a lanky green Hollow strutted out with Chyani over his shoulder and slammed her back first onto a low dusty crate.

Chyani yelped through the leather strap tied in her mouth and turned her head at me.

Her hand was bound to her side, and her ankles were knotted in wrinkled wire.

I will kill them all, Chyani!

She stared at me with her soft brown eyes clear and wide. Chyani was familiar with handling herself around bullies.

Gar'mol pierced his knife up into the center of my ear. I clenched my jaw and stared him down.

"Don't worry," Gar'mol licked his fangs. "I'll leave enough for you to hear everything."

I breathed to summon my training.

Wayward Hollows are unprincipled opportunists. If I'm patient and clever, I can wield it into their undoing.

Gar'mol pierced another hole further up my earlobe while one of his lackeys sifted through my gear and armor.

"Here," A brown Zhaguai with a mangled half-mane tossed a length of cord to the green Zhaguai leering over Chyani.

The green Zhaguai caught it then centered Chyani on the narrow crate and proceeded to untie her legs.

"Turn her the other way," Gar'mol barked. Pointing for them to rotate the crate so that Chyani was laying sideways in front of me.