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Taken
ALEX
“I don’t want any trouble,” I said, holding up my hands and backing away. “I will be on my way.”
“Do not move,” the woman hissed. “Why are you here? These lands belong to my people.”
Cold sweat trickled down my spine. “I-I am search-hing for someone,” I stuttered, my gaze shooting around the umbrella of branches. I needed something to leap behind.
“Who?” she asked.
“A younger man. Sandy blond hair, sparkling copper eyes, and a smidgen taller than me.” I raised my hand above me a few inches as if the gesture would help explain his height, then dropped it back down when I realized how ridiculous my description had been. Sparkling? What was wrong with me?
“These are strange words,” the woman whispered. She shook her head.
I know. I’m an idiot. “He stole something of value from my father, and it is my fault.”
The woman’s hand drifted down a few inches, pointing the firearm at my feet. “Why is this your fault?”
“I needed his help. My family was in trouble, and he whisked in to help me, so I let him. Then he took advantage of my trust by doubling back and ripping apart my parents’ ship.”
Her hand snapped back up, aiming the weapon at my face again. “You are an anaman, the ones who have invaded our lands and eat humans while they are still living.”
It was most definitely not a question. She had a twisted perspective on us. My heart thudded and more cold sweat dripped down my forehead and spine. This was not going well.
“No,” I said slowly, not wanting her to shoot, then ask questions. I raised my hands again. “I am half anaman, half human. And I prefer my meat to be dead before I eat it.”
Gah! Wrong words. My brain screamed at me to shut up as I was spitting the words out.
The woman leapt forward and pressed the weapon against my collarbone. Her chest rose and fell with rapid breaths, and her moss-green eyes sparked with fury.
“I knew it,” she hissed, only inches away from my face. “You are a foul being.”
“Chickens.” My voice trembled as I cowered away from her thundering anger. “I only eat animals.”
She cocked her head to the side, pushing the weapon harder against my bone.
“Just some animals. Not all of them.” Were these people vegetarian? Maybe I should have started with that.
Her eyes softened, and she stepped back a foot, giving me some of my breathing room back. I let out the breath from my cheeks. Her eyes narrowed again at the whooshing sound I made.
“Why have you invaded our lands?” she asked, switching the weapon to her other hand with too much ease. I was afraid she would set it off.
“Your Doyen told my dad we were allowed to settle the lands to the south, just past your boundaries.” I sighed when her arm sank to her side. “We were under the impression we had not broken any of your laws.”
“Maybe,” she replied, looking down at my pack. “This man stole from you?”
“Yes.”
“And you seek revenge of his wrongdoings?” Her gaze returned to mine. “What about my sister? She stole your shiny object. Will you want revenge upon her?”
Of course. I knew I had seen her before today. I almost laughed over the coincidence but caught myself just in time.
“I don’t want revenge on either him or your sister,” I said with as much reassurance in my tone that I could muster. “I want what he stole to be returned to my father. What your sister took is not needed anymore. Consider it a gift.”
Her head hung, and she slowly sank to the ground. “She had the ridiculous object when I last saw her.” She shook her head. Her gaze traveled around the forest and stopped toward the east, where there was the faintest light glistening on the horizon.
Finally. Mom and Dad must be beside themselves right now. This was the lamest, most reckless decision I had made yet.
I stared at the redhead sitting next to my pack. Her hair peeked out from underneath her hood, a tangle of different shades of red and various sections backcombed into dreads. She continued to stare at the growing light, lost in her thoughts of her sister and the ridiculous communication device.
“Where is your sister?” I asked, settling on the dirt in front of her.
“She was abducted,” she muttered, finally tearing her eyes away from the sky. “I must find her. My village has been invaded and my mother’s friend has betrayed me. They are saying that Zoe Dawn is the betrayer, but I told them they are liars.” Her fingers tapped against the weapon. “Are you a liar as well?”
I shook my head. “No. I am just wanting to fix the problem I created. The objects this man stole are far more valuable, and my dad’s ship requires them to return to our people.”
“There are more of you?” she asked, startled by the thought.
“Yes.” I pointed toward the heavens. “In a ship up there.”
She fumbled with her weapon but steadied it quickly and pointed it at me again. “Will they be invading our lands? Murdering my people?”
Way to go, dimwit. We are back to square one.
I threw up my hands in front of my body and shook my head. “What is your name?”
“Why would you like to know?” she barked. Her eyes widened, and she looked around in all directions as if afraid someone had heard her.
“We are not here to hurt or kill anyone,” I replied. “Please put the weapon down. I have no intention of hurting you.”
Her hand shook as she continued to point the gun at me. After several minutes, she gulped and set the weapon back on her lap.
“My name is Kia Lynn. What is yours?”
“Alex. It is very nice to meet you, Kia Lynn.” I leaned forward and held out my hand for her to shake.
She glanced at it, then shot me a confused look.
“It is just a formality where I come from,” I told her, dropping my hand back down. “Never mind. I might be able to find your sister... if she still has that object she took from me.”
“She did when I saw her last,” Kia Lynn said, scooting closer to me. “How are you able to find her? Will you show me the way?”
I pulled up the sleeve of my hoodie, revealing the swirling anaman markings. Kia Lynn stared but did not move. I swept the side of my hand down my wrist, connecting the device in my left thumb with the one in my right wrist and activating the internal computer. My holographic screen illuminated in the darkness.
She jumped back, and in the process, dropped the weapon. It clattered off to the side, but was still within her reach. Keeping my cool, I remained in my spot and waited for her to return. Strange. My glowing swirls did not phase her, but a light from my wrist did.
“I can do a search for that device.” There was no need to tell her I was already searching for them but had not been able to pinpoint the object. “It will hopefully tell us her location.”
Kia Lynn grabbed my wrist, staring hard at the screen. “I don’t see anything.”
I pulled my wrist from her grasp and turned on the microphone I had switched off when I left the ship. Maybe she would have better luck than I did looking manually. “Talli—” We each named our own internal AI’s and yes, mine was a nickname for my horrendous Aunt Tallisa, so I would never forget. “please connect me to device 48IGRACE.” Yes, I had memorized it for when I decided to eavesdrop on them.
“Alex,” Talli said and Kia Lynn shuffled back a few feet. Geez, that girl was jumpy. “Connecting to 48IGRACE.”
Only a few seconds later, the location lit up the screen. It displayed the coordinates, and based on the map, it looked like she was situated somewhere in Southern Utah, possibly Northern Arizona. Not that borders from the twenty-first century meant anything in this time.
I held out my arm. “She is southwest from here. It is a long walk. Do you have a horse or, better yet, a ship?”
She snorted. “A horse? Did you ingest some of Rafael’s herbs? Horses are from the ancient days. And my people are not anaman. There are no ships for me to take.” Her eyes lit up. “But we can take yours.”
I shook my head fervently. “No, we cannot take mine. First, it is not mine—it is my dad’s. And second—”
She jumped to her feet and yanked me up beside her, then scooped up her firearm and stuffed it in a pocket near her front lower ribs. “We will go to your ship. Your father will want to save my sister.”
I dug my heels in as she pushed me forward. “Wait. I can’t.”
She swept past me with my arm in her death grip and pulled me forward.
“Just wait.”
She didn’t.
I yanked at my arm, but she held fast. “Listen, Kia—”
She twisted around and slammed her fist into my face. I fell back, startled, and clutched my cheek with my hands, gagging on blood when I tasted it in my mouth. My surprised gaze flashed to her.
“Do as you are told,” she yelled, obviously no longer afraid she would be heard. “I am running out of time before they come after me, and I need to find my sister.” The desperation in her voice was as equally startling as her strike to my face. Something or someone had spooked her.
Leaning over me, she pulled me back to my feet. I was still in shock and planted my feet firmly to the ground, even though she waved for me to follow her.
I spit out the blood from my mouth. “I am not returning until I find those stolen parts,” I blurted, squaring my shoulders at her. My hopes for new friends was now dashed.
She twisted around, wearing a caged-animal expression on her face and then charged. I leapt to the side, then flipped over, avoiding her altogether. My abilities were kicking in again, and I had no idea how I’d made it happen. She skidded to a halt, and her head turned from side to side as she searched for me. This was my chance. I scooped up my bag and sprinted to the pathway, turning toward what I thought was the direction of the small lake.
I could hear her racing after me, panting as she quickened her speed. That girl could run, but I was faster. I always had been, even before my anaman senses had activated, but for some reason she was keeping up with me better than any other human.
Taking a chance, I glanced over my shoulder to see how far back she was. I nearly choked on the blood left in my mouth. She was only a few feet behind me. How was that possible?
I had to lose her somehow. The girl was out of her mind.
Jumping to one side, I came to an abrupt halt and watched as Kia Lynn tore past me. Then I took off in the opposite direction. I could hear her spew out several unintelligible words as she kicked up rocks and dirt, and it almost brought a smile to my face.
I rounded a few corners and took a fork in the road that did not look familiar, then ducked into some trees and pressed my back against one of the larger ones. Moments later, running feet reverberated against the earth, heading toward me. There was no way she could find me. She had been too far behind and it was still not light enough to show my path.
Her footsteps grew closer and then they stopped. My chest tightened as I drew in a shaky breath and held it.
“Alex, I will find you,” Kia Lynn whispered just loud enough for me to hear.
She knew I was close. Did the girl have some kind of Spidey sense that was just for those of this dimension?
Creeping farther into the safety of the foliage, I watched each step closely and fought the chance to start running again. I needed to put some distance between us first.
It was growing lighter above the trees, and tiny streams of sunrays weaved between the branches. This dimension’s coloring seemed off, even within the thick of the forest. Stunning views, but still dulled. I noticed the stirrings of leaves lying on the ground as insects and rodents skittered across the dirt. Even the bugs didn’t look quite right.
I shook my head. Focus, Alex.
My gaze swept the area, taking in every possible outlet. Kia Lynn hadn’t spoken for a while. I could only hope I had lost her.
I tiptoed through the brush, feeling more confident as the sun rose higher into the sky. Out of the corner of my eye, a figure dashed between some trees. I froze, then backed up against a tree trunk, so I could scan every inch of the viewable forest. I should know better than to let my guard down so easily.
The vegetation ahead of me stirred. Slowly twisting around the tree, I yelped when I came face-to-face with the girl who had been trying to break into my parents’ ship.
Her hand shot out and covered my mouth before any more noise could escape. I tried to bite her, but she stuck something sharp against my ribs in response.
“Quiet there, witch,” she hissed as she leaned in closer. Her gaze traveled all over my face and neck, and the grin that rose on her lips sent chills down my spine. “It is never wise to wander too far from home, especially the likes of you.”
My breath came in short gasps between her fingers. I shook my head. Instead of loosening up her hold on my mouth, she dug her palm and fingers into my cheeks and leaned in so close, our noses were almost touching.
“You shot Jako. Lucky for us, Dax was able to convince you to trust him.” Her other hand came up to her mouth, and she turned slightly, whistling with her fingers. “Beck might be just as delighted with you as he is with the parts from your ship.”
I squirmed against her hold, but she pressed the sharp object harder against my side. Shifting as much as I could away from it, I realized she had me pinned against a thick branch, so I did not have much wiggle room.
Then a rustling caught my ears. As ironic as it sounded, I really hoped it was Kia Lynn.
My heart dropped into my stomach when Jako burst into the open. His gaze landed on me. For a minute there, it looked like he had stopped breathing, but then I could see his chest rising and falling faster with each breath he took. His expression slowly hardened and he stalked toward me as if I were his prey.
“Witch!” he shouted, pointing at me with two fingers. “Your spell nearly brought me to my knees.”
Here we go again. Welcome to the Stone Age.
“How do you all know it was me inside that ship?” I blurted, tired of being held against my will.
The woman’s smile faltered, and she turned to look at me. “Because Dax told us,” she hissed only inches from my face. “Shut your trap, witch.”
“If I was a witch, why wouldn’t I just cast a spell on you now and escape?”
Jako reached us and pressed his own dagger against my neck. I gulped. They both stood so close, I could smell the cigar breath on both of them. Did anyone believe in personal boundaries in this dimension?
“I have already claimed this Alex,” a woman called.
I almost smiled. It was Kia Lynn, and although she was bat-shit crazy, I would rather deal with her insanity than a team of hooligans.
Jako’s and the unnamed woman’s heads swiveled in Kia Lynn’s direction, and they loosened their grip on me. Both daggers slipped away from my flesh as well. I ducked, rolled to the side, and leapt from their grasp before they realized what had happened. All three stared at me with gaping jaws.
“No one is claiming me!” I screamed, throwing my arms out in frustration. “I do not belong to any of you. I just need the parts returned that you stole, and we can all be on our merry way.”
Kia Lynn’s head twitched slightly to the side, looking at me as if I were the crazy one. Who do these people think they were? Claiming someone. The whole idea was insane. Jako and his lady friend did not budge, but their expressions became stony, and Jako balled his hands into fists.
I backed away slowly. “I can see this is not the best time to negotiate. Maybe we could meet back at my ship later and discuss your terms.”
A sneer surfaced on Jako’s face. Then the woman bounced on her toes with a sudden look of glee. My eyes widened just as an arm circled around my neck, squeezing it, and another hand pressed a cloth over my mouth and nose. Hadn’t I been here before, in another lifetime?
I cried out desperately, thrashing against the tight grip. After a few minutes, a fog swam inside my head, then the cloth dropped away and the hold on my neck tightened. Black specs encroached on my eyesight and I looked over at Kia Lynn for help just as I tipped to the side.
