Ethereal Lives: A Romantic Sci-Fi Novel

Chapter 27

When first leaving the ship, Ax had been forced to stay in his natural form, then before they docked, Kestel had removed the halt collar to avoid drawing attention to them.

Ax had adopted his Xan form as soon as the collar had gone, figuring it would be the least threatening appearance he could have. Unfortunately, it didn't encourage his captor to be more sociable.

He'd been unceremoniously dragged from the ship at gunpoint and shoved into a transporter, and then transferred to this room where he had been for three days, chained to the headboard of the bed and staring at the same four grey walls. He knew his captor was promoting his sale. On his first day here Kestel and another man had forced the collar around his neck. Once his Ethereal status had been confirmed, he'd not seen either person again. Once a day food was brought in, and one hand was released while he ate at gunpoint.

He fiddled with the lock on his wrist while, wondering how his crew was and if Ariane was alright. As far as he knew, she'd remained safe in the cargo hold throughout the fight. Was she still there? Did his men succeed in claiming the ship?

If they had, Ariane would be safe. If they hadn't, she, herself could be sitting in a cell, awaiting her own sale?

He had no way of knowing, and it was tearing him apart. At the time he'd been pulled from the control room, his crew had been equally matched. Who would be the victor, had been impossible to tell. He had faith in his men; unfortunately, sometimes faith wasn't enough.

He grunted when the hair grip, he'd taken from Ariane, slipped out of the lock again. He was glad he'd kept it on his person, thinking it might be handy one day, but he really should have asked her to show him exactly how to use it. She had made this look so easy, but he'd been attempting to pick the lock since he got here with no success. He widened the metal a bit more and put it back in the hole, jiggling it around. When the lock popped open he blinked in surprise. Finally, he'd gotten it.

The door handle to the prison turned, jolting him from his musings. Grabbing the chain, he quickly wrapped it around his wrist, giving the impression he was still chained. Kestel strolled towards him with confidence. As soon as he was within reach, Ax lunged. His fist connected with Kestel's jaw making the bone crunch. Kestel staggered, ignoring the pain now radiating through his hand, Ax took advantage of the opportunity and shoved him to the floor then kicked him in the gut.

Fleeing the room, he dashed through the building searching for an exit. Door after door stood locked but he kept running. The building seemed strangely quiet until he found a set of stairs leading upward. The higher he climbed, the more he could hear. Reaching the door at the top, he shoved it open, astonished to find it unlocked. He stumbled into a room, which resembled a bar, crowded with of all kind people. Standing straighter, he weaved through the crowd trying not to draw attention. It didn't take long to find an exit and dash out into the street.

He seemed to be in the centre of a busy town. The pavement heaved with people rushing to and from places. Joining the flow of traffic, he walked as fast as he dare away from the building. A loud kerfuffle behind him caused him to quicken his pace. A check over his shoulder confirmed Kestel along with a few others scanning the street for him. Darting between two buildings, he attempted to get out of sight, but the noise of them searching grew louder as they headed in his direction.

He wove in and out of alleyways, in between buildings trying to increase his distance from them, testing transporter doors along the way. No matter where he went, the footsteps seemed to get closer. Finally finding an unlocked door, he jumped into the driver seat and frantically tried to start it. Most transporters had remotes, but he hoped if he could access the controls he might be able to do it manually. It was times like this when he wished for Praid's ability with machines. His friend would have had the transporter started in seconds.