At first, I thought my mind might be feverish, but when I checked again, I confirmed it. There was a face in the crowd I recognized, though I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I stopped, much to the chagrin of those walking behind me.
For a moment, I saw her again and started pushing my way through the crowd. There it was again: a female face. I only saw it for an instant, but my heart leaped. She looked well, but she was thinner than I’d remembered her. She was being shoved down along the street by a vrak slaver. The woman and her slaver disappeared among the crowd.
I abandoned any semblance of trying to blend in and headed for the last spot I saw her.
It was Reaver.
Chapter Twenty-Five
The crowd was becoming thicker, as were Skrew’s protests and attempts to drag me by my arm.
“I saw one of my people,” I whispered to him. “She went this way.”
“So many humans for Jacob to choose from,” he grumbled. “Ugly females make nice with Jacob. No troubles he has to find mate. Why this human?”
“She’s part of my crew, part of my team,” I said from the side of my mouth as I craned my neck as best I could. “She’d give her life for me, and I’d do the same for her. No way I’m leaving without her.”
Skrew made a raspberry noise. I didn’t look, not because I wasn’t curious if he’d just covered his own face in saliva, but because I didn’t want to lose sight of Reaver.
Two rock-like aliens stomped the ground in front of me. They were as wide as some of the vendor stalls and three times as tall. They stared at each other with unblinking expressions, thumping their chests and scraping their granite-like teeth together in something that must have been communication.
I tried to go around to the left, but the crowd was too thick. I tried the right, but another circus cart was pushing its way through the masses. I couldn't go over them without drawing attention, and going under them was unreasonable, so I stiff-armed both of the rock-beasts and went between them.
I expected them to protest, possibly to take a swing at me, but when I checked over my shoulder, they only stood there with passive expressions and watched me go. They weren’t at all what I’d expected.
I had to duck to dodge the pointy ends of a huge parasol when a lusty-looking female alien with three breasts bounced by, carried in a kind of exotic litter. She smacked her enormous lips and blinked the huge lashes of her one eye at me as she passed. I couldn't help but shudder in revulsion. Skrew raised an arm as if to wave at her, but I caught it, possibly saving his life by the looks of her.
“Probably not a good idea,” I whispered.
I wanted Reaver to look my direction and see me. If she did, and she managed not to give it away, I could pass a few hand and arm signals to her. I could make a plan, see a response, and know what she needed from me. But, by the way she was walking, head down and subdued, I suspected I was the last thing she expected to see.
“Come on,” I told the vrak. “We’ll close the distance. I need to figure out what her situation is. I can’t lose sight of her. Not when I’m this close.”
“Jacob must carefully,” Skrew whispered. “Too close to arena. Guards looking for very much muscles and fight. Maybe not from human, though. Who knows? Maybe safe? Maybe they ignore? Maybe they try squash Jacob flat like dittle-bug when it land in food and make poops on top.”
I ignored him. I had Reaver in sight. She was only 30 or 40 yards away and was heading toward a building on the edge of the arena. I guessed it was the official ticket booth. There were aliens milling around it, but the transaction would give me enough time to confront the vrak who was escorting her. I had a pouch full of gold pings, and I hoped they would be enough to buy her freedom without attracting any unwanted attention. Then, I could get her to safety, free the dragons, and make my escape. That part would be fun. I’d probably just punch a big hole in the city’s wall and walk through. After creating a distraction to cover our escape, of course.
“Too close,” Skrew hissed as he tugged on my arm. “Jacob must turn away. Must hide. Too close!”
Reaver and the vrak disappeared into the a small building beside the arena.
“Fuck,” I whispered as my heart sank.
“Must go,” Skrew said, still tugging on my arm.
“What’s that building for?” I asked, not taking my eyes off the door Reaver had disappeared behind.
“Is not for Jacob.”
“What is it?” I asked again, agitation and impatience turning my voice into a growl.
Skrew sighed. “Is the arena office. Make for fights there. Make for dead and pain and suffer. Is not place for Jacob. She fight.” The sincere sadness in his voice made me turn to look at him. “Reaver fight. Reaver die. Is all.”
“I need to get in there.”
“No. Is fight. Is to die. Not little, black mercenaries. Not Enforcer. Bad fighting things. Many fights. Many wins. Jacob get squashed like fruit. Not fight, Jacob. Come. Skrew take to Bada-dabu. We find other.”
He stopped when I yanked my arm from his grasp.
“Go to Babu-dabu.” I tossed my ping-pouch to him. “I’m going for Reaver.”
Skrew glanced toward a nearby food stall. “But—”
“You find Babu-dabu. I know where one of my people are.”
After I turned, I didn’t look back, but neither did I hear any more protests. He knew I was serious, and I sincerely hoped he was walking away to obey my orders.
It was time to go talk to one of the guards.
I checked over both my shoulders, noting the location, direction, and equipment of the guards. There were
