Deadly Games

“No chance you can woo it with your tongue,huh?” Maldynado asked.

“Judging by our previous encounter, I thinkit’d be more likely to pull my tongue out, wrap it around my bodylike bacon, and swallow me whole.”

“Such imaginative imagery.”

“I get creative when I haven’t had anysleep.”

“The next few hours should be interestingthen,” Maldynado said.

“Likely so.”

CHAPTER 15

Awareness returned to Basilard slowly.Memories of dreams wafted away like smoke in the wind. A dimblurriness met his eyes, and he blinked, struggling to focus. Aface came into view.

Sicarius.

His features held no warmth or friendliness.Basilard tried to lift a hand, but bindings secured him to thetable. Sicarius was free, though still nude. He wore his brace ofthrowing knives on his forearm and held two daggers, one the blackblade he favored and the other one of Basilard’s fighting weapons.Basilard’s gaze lingered on the sharp steel, and he remembered hislast thoughts; before he had succumbed to the drugs, he had beensure Sicarius knew of Basilard’s plan for killing him.

Basilard turned his head from side to side.Other prisoners lay on the tables, some horizontal and otherstipped vertical against the wall. None appeared to be awake. Howmuch time had passed? Deep shadows shrouded the corners of thelaboratory, and the lights were dimmer than he remembered. It mustbe nighttime, though one might never know the difference downhere.

Sicarius lifted his hands and signed, Youare alert?

That he signed instead of speaking meant hehad escaped, not been released, and being quiet was important.

Had Basilard’s hands been free, he would haveresponded with “vaguely,” but, strapped down, he had fewer options,so he only nodded.

Sicarius slipped a key into the first lock,the one that bound Basilard’s wrists to the table.

As soon as his hands were free, he asked,How’d you escape?

The woman. Sicarius’s signs were asterse as his spoken words.

She released you? Because she wantedto… Basilard stopped. He had no interest in the details; hejust wanted to know if Sicarius had won her over-or forced herover-and if she could take them to the surface.

She was unable to craft the sphere.

Was? Basilard asked. She’sdead?

Yes. We have to find another way off. Onlythe other twin and a male telekineticist can make the protectivebubbles. The woman is incapacitated from your attack, and the maleisn’t on board right now. We may be too deep to swim out.Regardless, a kraken guards this place. Our blades would be uselessagainst it.

No, even firearms would be uselessunderwater. The woman told you all this? Basilard asked.

Yes. Sicarius’s cool gaze told him todrop it.

Basilard swallowed, imagining Sicariusletting that woman think they had some connection, and then turningaround, interrogating her, and killing her. True, Basilard himselfhad killed, but only in combat and only men. Not women. His eyesnarrowed in remembrance. Or children.

Sicarius unfastened the bindings aboutBasilard’s ankles, then continued with those tying his torso andthighs to the table.

Basilard tilted his head. Why come forme?

Sicarius flicked him a glance that could havemeant anything and continued to unlock the bindings.

When the drugs were overtaking Basilard, hehad not expected Sicarius’s help, indeed had thought Sicarius mighthave set him up to die. Was it possible he had imaginedeverything?

Sicarius released the final straps andstepped back.

Do you know I know… Basilard stoppedhimself. If Sicarius had not figured it out, it would be foolish toalert him.

I know, Sicarius signed.

Basilard waited for him to continue, to offersome ultimatum or say something like, “If you make a move againstme, I’ll kill you.” He still held all the knives. Sicarius did notadd anything to his comment though. Maybe he figured it was allassumed.

You could get rid of me down here with noone on the team wise to it. And maybe Basilard should not bepointing things out. What if Sicarius was only releasing himbecause he needed help escaping? And what if he planned to killBasilard on the way out? Or maybe… Do you not see me as athreat?

You are capable.

As scant an admission as that was, Basilardfound it heartening. Then why free me? Basilard askedagain.

Because Amaranthe would wish it.Sicarius flipped Basilard’s knife and extended it, hilt first.

The answer, or perhaps the honesty of theanswer, surprised Basilard. So, I’m safe around you as long asshe’s alive? He smiled, though he knew Sicarius would notreturn the gesture.

If you force me to defend myself, Iwill. Sicarius shook the knife, emphasizing Basilard shouldtake it. Right, they had to escape before anyone noticed Sicariusmissing and the woman dead.

Basilard took the knife and stepped into theaisle. He paused as one more thought occurred to him. IsAmaranthe the reason you were captured?

He thought of the way she had talked him intothe Clank Race. Her intentions had been good-maybe that was whatmade her requests appealing-but he would not be at the bottom of alake, stripped naked, and the latest specimen in some scientist’sresearch experiment if not for her.

I got closer than I should have,Sicarius signed. I sensed the Science being used, but…I did not want to return without answers to herquestions.

Huh, he had been right. Basilard was going tosign one of his grandfather’s sayings, that many a male duck hadbeen lured to its demise by the call of a female, but Sicariusturned away, as if to say, “Enough chit chat. Time for work.”

He strode to the next table and cut thetubing leading to a young man’s veins. He unlocked the bindingsthere as well, though he did not wait for the person to wake beforemoving to the next table.

Why free them? Basilard asked, notbecause he objected, but because Sicarius would not do it foraltruistic purposes.

Distraction, Sicarius signed.

While we do what?

Take this-Sicarius twitched a hand toencompass the structure-to the surface so we can getoff.

Take over the…tiller? Basilard hadno idea if something like this had a tiller-probably not-butSicarius would know he meant the navigation system.

Yes.

You know where that is?

But Sicarius had already turned back to thecaptives. Basilard helped with his own knife. Most of the otherprisoners were young, in their teens and twenties. He hoped theywould be able to escape themselves without being harmed. Moreharmed, he corrected himself, when he noticed freshly stitchedscars gouging the abdomen and groin areas of more than one.Basilard glanced down at himself and was relieved to see noincisions. Sicarius must