Space Pirate Charlie: The Dragon Mage Book 2 Page 17

  Fortunately, her attack produced the desired reaction, the man crumpling to the floor. Before he even knew what was happening, the man on the right found himself in a tight choke hold. Less than ten seconds later, he, too, slipped into unconsciousness, the blood flow to his brain temporarily restricted.

  Leila eased him to the ground and quickly trussed him up with his friend, her years of animal work again coming in handy as she repurposed the length of rope that had previously held her prisoner. She then slid the konus off the man’s wrist where it lay just beneath the rope. As an afterthought, she took their slaaps as well. She’d never used one before, but figured it would be better to have one and not need it than need one and not have it as she made a run for it.

  Unlike other sections of the building, this one only had one way in or out, the other wings being locked off. All she had to do was make it down the corridor, cross through an antechamber, then she’d have a clear shot to the outside.

  Leila took off at a jog as she slid the konus onto her wrist. She was glad she had when she rounded the corner to find Malalia sitting on a low couch across the room. The powerful woman seemed as startled to see her as Leila was at her appearance, but quickly recovered her cool demeanor, rising to her feet, konus already aglow.

  “So, it seems you broke free. I suppose it figures. Animals escape, after all, and you do rather smell like them.”

  Leila didn’t wait. She knew Malalia would cast any moment, and it would be over. So she did what she had to. She charged at her.

  The visla’s daughter quickly cast a basic attack spell, but Leila got lucky. Her limited knowledge of defensive spells had equipped her with a few selections from her daily work with occasionally dangerous animals.

  Fortunately, one was a general protection from magical assaults spell, typically used when rounding up packs of a small creature that resembled a larger, more canine version of a skunk. Its magical stink spray was horrid and was strong enough to make anyone’s eyes water. The protection against that managed to deflect enough of Malalia’s spell to let Leila advance farther.

  A second spell, however, knocked her feet out from under her, sending her sliding back across the hallway. Malalia was ready for her, a wicked look in her eyes.

  “Nice try,” she said mockingly. “Now, I think it’s time to teach you a real lesson.”

  Something triggered the woman’s self-preservation reflexes, and she spun, casting a brutal energy-sucking spell as she did. Bawb raised his konus, casting a quick defense as he wrapped his arms around her.

  Malalia shrieked, but he had a firm grip.

  “Unhand me!” she yelled, then did the most unexpected thing. Immobilized by his strength, she turned and bit the Wampeh. Not something he was expecting at all, and while his grip didn’t lessen, his konus faltered just a moment. It was all she needed.

  Malalia, Wampeh blood fresh on her lips, quickly cast a vicious spell. She threw herself across the room as it broke his grip with magical force, but Bawb took far more of the impact, the spell sending him flying backward at speed and right through the wall. A wicked, bloody smile blossomed on her lips, and at that moment, Charlie realized she wasn’t just bad. She was Bad.

  Charlie jumped aside as his new ally flew past, hoping he was as tough as he seemed, then he raised his own konus, bringing it to bear on Malalia.

  “Charlie,” she said sweetly. “Why are you pointing that at me? I thought we were friends?”

  “Let her go, Malalia. There’s no need to fight.”

  The false smile slid from her face in a flash. “Oh, please. I’ve seen you fight, you know. While you may be good with a blade, your magic is no match for mine.”

  “It doesn’t have to be,” he shot back. Then, before she could utter a spell, he silently cast the strongest dipangu spell he could, directing the full brunt of the stench spell right at her face.

  Malalia gagged at the horrid odor, her casting failing, the spell’s words choked off as she held back her gag reflex. It was an unconventional attack, but in combat, conventional loses.

  Before she could recover, he cast the yapzi spell, the sensation of swarming flies around her head making the young woman swat all around her, even though she knew it was just magic.

  “Very funny,” she finally managed, then cast a powerful eeflanguley spell, trying to knock him over with its ramming force.

  Charlie cast a deflection at the last instant but still found himself slammed back into the wall.

  Malalia raised her hand, konus fiercely aglow. She was about to cast something big, he realized. Without thinking about what he was doing, Charlie uttered the first spell that came to mind. “Eikood pord!”

  A shriek escaped the woman’s lips, right before they were sealed by the mountain of poop that materialized on top of her. She scrambled from the pile in a rage.

  Bawb crawled through the rubble of the wall he’d been blasted through, his decorative armlets suddenly glowing with embedded runic scrollwork.

  Those whole things are konuses, Charlie realized, just as the Wampeh cast a fierce stunning spell, driving Malalia, shrieking, to the ground, where she finally blacked out from the force of it.

  The assassin known as the Geist strode to the fallen woman, fangs bared.

  “No!” Charlie shouted.

  “But she has power, Charlie. She is dangerous.”

  “Maybe, but she’s just a kid trying to impress her dad. Don’t drain her, Bob.”

  The Wampeh growled, but did as his new ally asked. He did, however, strip the fallen woman of her konus as he bound her wrists and cast a silence spell. It would fade shortly, but she wouldn’t be casting, at least not for a while.

  “Such power,” he said as his fingers brushed her skin while he stripped her of her weapons and bound and gagged her. “Even without a konus.”

  “Makes sense. So does her father,” Charlie replied. “Now, come on. We have to go.”

  Leila scrambled to her feet and darted past the downed woman, crinkling her nose as she passed the feces-covered woman.

  “Oh, shit.”

  “Bundabist shit, to be precise,” Charlie chuckled. “I’d shifted it earlier but hadn’t gotten around to dropping it in the composting pile.”

  “How convenient.”

  “Not how the spell was intended to work, but I’ll take it,” he replied.

  “And those other spells?”

  “Diversions, really.”

  “You have got to teach me those,” Leila said. From the tone in her voice, compliance would not be optional.

  “Okay, but now we have to run.”

  Bawb handed Leila the fallen woman’s konus. “Here, take this. It is still a bit smelly, but it is far more powerful than the one you are currently wearing.”

  “Uh, thank you,” she replied, taking the offered device.

  “Oh, this is my new friend,” Charlie said. “He’s a blood-sucking space vampire assassin. You can call him Bob.”

  Leila hesitated, the deadly man’s vibe putting her on edge. But he had helped save her, and if he was a friend of Charlie’s…

  “Many thanks for your assistance, Bawb.”

  “I was assisting Charlie,” he replied. “In any case, we must go. Now. Others will arrive soon, and we’d best not be here when they do.”

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  “My father will know what to do,” Leila said for the umpteenth time.

  Charlie and Bawb just grunted what could be construed as an agreement––or mere desire for her to stop saying that––and continued across the grounds, heading for the kitchens.

  When they had exited the building Leila had been held in, she was astonished to find a half dozen guards, each of them unconscious and bound.

  “We need to put them where they will not be observed by others,” Bawb said, hoisting one of the men over his shoulder.

  Charlie tried that trick, but found he lacked the Wampeh’s inhuman strength, which made sense as the pale man actually was inhu
man. Leila opted for the more logical choice, grabbing the nearest man by the ankles and dragging him.

  “We really need a cart,” Charlie grumbled. “I swear, one of these days, I’m going to reinvent the wheel and blow all of your minds.”

  The trio made quick work of the task, stashing the slumbering assortment of alien staff inside the doors, then headed off at a quick run. All three of them possessed excellent conditioning, and had someone actually seen them and attempted to pursue, they’d have been hard pressed to keep up.

  Charlie held up his hand, signaling a silent halt when they neared the kitchen staff’s quarters.

  “Okay, I’m going to get Tuktuk. You guys keep your eyes peeled and yell if anyone is coming.”

  “If we yell, more of them will come. This is a foolish plan,” Bawb said.

  “It’s a figure of speech. Tell me if someone is coming, okay?”

  “It shall be done.”

  “Good. I’ll try to be fast.”

  Charlie darted for the entryway, staying out of the light, despite the seeming absence of any guards. After the shimmer trick Bawb had shown him, he wasn’t so sure anymore, despite the Wampeh’s assurances they were alone.

  He quietly eased the door open and slipped into the building, ears searching for any sound of trouble. With the coast clear, he then tip-toed down the hall until he reached his friend’s room.

  “Tuktuk? Hey, Tuktuk,” he whispered, softly knocking on his door.

  No answer.

  Charlie eased the door open and peered inside the room. “Tuk, you in here?”

  The blue man was nowhere to be seen.

  Shit. I bet I know where he is.

  Charlie hustled out of the building, back to his waiting comrades.

  “He’s not in there.”

  “No?” Leila said, surprised. “But it’s late, and the kitchen is dark. Might the visla have taken him?”

  “No, don’t worry. I know where he is.”

  Charlie took off toward the housekeeping quarters, the other two following close behind.

  “Charlie, what in the Gods’ name are you doing here?” Magda demanded from behind a partially opened door.

  “Magda, I need to speak with Tuktuk.”

  “And what makes you think he is here?”

  “Really?”

  “It’s okay, Magda,” the blue chef called out as he trundled to the door wearing nothing more than a thin robe. “What’s so urgent that it couldn’t wait until morning, Charlie?”

  “It’s happening, Tuk. We have to go.”

  His friend’s eye stalks darted, flashing a quick look back into the room. “Uh, Charlie, I told you, Magda won’t leave. And if she won’t, then neither will I.”

  “But this is your chance for freedom.”

  “I know, and I really appreciate it. But I’ve found something better than that right here. I know it’s a little crazy, but that’s the poet in me. I’m in love, and that’s just as worthy of a fight as anything.”

  Charlie hated to admit it, but the hopeless romantic in his heart had no choice but to agree.

  “I’m gonna miss you, man,” he said, pulling his friend into a tight hug.

  “Hey, I only have a robe on, here!”

  “Sorry,” Charlie said with a chuckle.

  “No worries,” his friend replied. “And listen, Magda did what you asked. There’s a huge pile of old blankets in your room.”

  “Give her my thanks. And the best of luck to you two. I wish you nothing but happiness.”

  With that, Charlie closed the door and left his friend, wondering if he’d ever see his smiling blue face again.

  Charlie stepped into the shadows where Leila was squatting, waiting for him.

  “Where’s Bob?” he asked.

  “Here,” the Wampeh said, appearing out of thin air.

  “It was so creepy how he just disappeared,” Leila said. “Like, here one second, then gone.”

  “It is an acquired skill,” the pale assassin noted.

  “Add that to the list, then. I want you to teach me that too,” she replied.

  “Should I be successful in my task, then we shall see.”

  Leila cast a curious look at Charlie. “What’s he talking about?”

  “We can talk about that later,” he covered. “Right now, we need to hurry.”

  He took off at a run for his room, arriving just a few minutes later, unseen by the lone wandering perimeter guard they’d easily avoided.

  “Take all of these,” he ordered, pointing to the neatly tied bundles of old blankets.

  “What are these for?” Leila asked.

  “We’ll need them. Trust me.”

  “I trust you, Charlie, but—”

  He was already out the door, racing to the wine cellar beneath the kitchen. By the time the others had joined him, he had already uncovered his stash of Earth tech and was rapidly sorting through the pile, looking for anything he might be able to salvage.

  “What is all of this?” Bawb asked as he picked up a broken oscillator.

  “Tech from my world.”

  “It feels wrong.”

  “That’s just because you’re not used to science and technology,” he replied. “Here, look at this.”

  He activated the medical scanner and waved it over the Wampeh’s chest, then showed him a slightly blurred image of his organs.

  “It’s not calibrated for Wampeh physiology, but you get the idea. It lets me see what’s going on inside without breaking the skin.”

  “This sorcery is abhorrent,” the Wampeh said with disgust. “It feels wrong.”

  “You’re just not used to it, is all.” Now quiet, I have to concentrate a minute.”

  Charlie dug through the pile and managed to find a pair of communicators. They were totally drained, of course, but he had hopes of maybe restoring their charge somehow. Over against the wall was a crate he recognized. The one containing the items sold along with him when he had first become enslaved.

  “Oh, please still be in there,” he murmured as he popped the lid.

  A happy smile spread across his face. A few choice items were there, intact and unweathered, safely in storage since day one. Most importantly, the carbine and pistol, along with their small cache of ammunition, were tucked in with the rest of it. A deadly oversight by people who had no idea what they had in their possession.

  “My friends, we are in luck,” he said, loading the pistol and strapping its holster to his hip.

  “What manner of tech-magic is that, then?” Bawb asked.

  “Oh, this isn’t science tech,” Charlie replied with a grin. “It’s a weapon.”

  “I sense no power.” The device seemed to intrigue the assassin.

  “I’ll show you how it works later, okay? But now, we have to get out of here. If the visla returns, he’ll activate our collars and we’ll never be able to flee.”

  Leila took a step back.

  “Wait. What do you mean, ‘get out of here?’”

  “We’re leaving this place,” Charlie replied. “It’s no longer safe here.”

  “But this is my home.”

  “You fought with the visla’s daughter. She is currently trussed up and covered in bundabist feces. Do you really think he will let that pass?” Bawb asked. “I know men of his nature. To merely be sold would be an optimistic outcome.”

  The very notion of being sold brought a surge of emotion flooding back into her mind, the memory of her own mother being ripped from them by armed guards when she was but a child flashing in front of her eyes as if it were yesterday.

  “My father will know what to do,” she said, yet again, but this time her voice quivered slightly.

  “Perhaps we should bring her to her father,” Bawb suggested, studying her reaction. “He has seen much. I believe his parental insight may aid our friend, here.”

  Charlie couldn’t help but agree.

  They gathered up all of the supplies they could and secured them in a pair of
empty crates, the Wampeh using a minor spell to lessen their weight, though not make them levitate entirely.

  “So, that decorative armlet is actually concealing konus,” Charlie said, noting the faint glow from within the assassin’s sleeve.

  Bawb smiled a pointed grin. “A misdirection, Charlie. What seems a simple piece of decorative adornment is in fact something far more. Weapons are often seized when entering protected buildings, you see. But this? It passes all but the most detailed inspections.”

  “Oh, I just thought it was another way to wear your konus.”

  “It is, but few, if any, can see that. It’s impressive you noted its presence. Impressive, and most unusual.”

  “When will you stop saying that?”

  “When you cease to surprise me.”

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  “But Father, I can’t just leave!”

  Hertzall may have been seen as an oddity among the visla’s staff, but his many decades of quiet service had afforded him the opportunity to observe a great deal of things, some not entirely pleasant. To his knowing eyes, the writing was plain to see.

  “Believe me, dearest, I have no desire to see you leave either, but it is the logical thing to do.”

  Leila was pacing the room. She’d been pacing non-stop ever since they arrived at the groundskeeper’s little cottage.

  “My friends? My animals?”

  “Your friends will understand. And the animals? I’m sure they will be well taken care of. The visla is not one to take his rage out on his trophies.”

  “But what about you? I can’t leave you here.” She turned to Charlie. “Take him with us.”

  “Daughter, I am an old man. Well, relatively old, anyway. But what I’m trying to say is, this is where I belong. You are young and have your entire life ahead of you, and there is still so much you can accomplish. Me? I’m set in my ways, and I’m left to myself in this place, which is how I prefer it to be.”

  “But I can make it right. I can apologize. Whatever it takes to earn the visla’s forgiveness and stay here with you.”