“You’re welcome,” I said. “Why did they kidnap you, anyway? What did they have you doing while you were there?”
“They took me because I fix things. They used to have a mechanic a while ago, but when I got there, the place was in shambles. At first, I refused, of course. But then, they threatened to hurt the other prisoners. I didn’t believe them… so they killed one. They said they’d kill the rest if I didn’t help. So, I helped.”
“And how did you get the pistol?”
“It was left behind by their last mechanic. There was a bunch of Void-tech in there. I gathered it all into my backpack.” She reached back with one hand and patted the bottom of the bag. “There’s a lot in here I don’t understand yet. But I’ll figure it out. I always do.”
“Who ordered you to be kidnapped?” I asked. “Was it Demetrios?”
Nyna shook her head. “No, it was Tortengar, the bastard.”
I gave her a blank stare.
“Oh, you don’t know about him? He’s the grand… ruler… whatever, of Thaz’red, another city. It’s big, and closer to the Ish-Nul than Brazud or any other major city. Tortengar is all about power. Real power, like what the powerplant was producing, and the imaginary stuff, like having weapons, slaves. Really, I think he’s a wimp who talks a good game but couldn’t back it up in a one-on-one fight.
“He’s got this stupid costume he likes to wear all the time. I saw him once when I visited Thaz’red looking for more Void-tech. He had about a hundred slaves carrying him on this big covered sissy-wagon-thing without wheels. He had a bunch of guards, too. He’s a total loser. His whole business is about taxing people, building, always building, and buying and selling slaves. He’s the big patron of the slavery system. Every time a slave is bought or sold, he gets to tax it. People pay him even if they’ve never been to Thaz’red. I’d like to teach that bastard a lesson, you know?”
I did. I started imagining all the horrible things I’d like to do to him, when Nyna started talking again. The woman had a lot of words. Maybe it was just because she’d spent so much time locked up alone.
“I’d like to cut his toes off, cook them up all nice and neat, and feed them to him. Maybe I’d cut his arm off next. Nice and slow, give him some time to recover from the first harvest before. Or, just his foot. I’d want it to last a while, you know? Then, I’d gather up all his slaves, give them heaps and heaps of pebbles, and let them chuck them at him until they turned the bastard to mush or buried him alive. Could be kind of therapeutic for them, don’t you think?”
“Could be,” I said with a nod.
Nyna sighed. “You’re cute. Are you taken?”
I opened my mouth, but no words came out. It wasn’t what I’d been expecting.
“He’s not taken,” Yaltu said. “He’s shared. Are you okay with that?”
Nyna looked me up and down again, a thoughtful, critical look in her eye, as if I was some kind of circuit she was inspecting before she plugged me into a power source.
“Yeah,” she finally said, with a smile and a wink at Yaltu. “I’m totally okay with that.”
Chapter Six
Our return trip to the Ish-Nul village took only a single night. The hoverbikes made the journey much faster than before.
The village came into sight just as the sun was rising over the ocean, and boy had it become an impressive sight. The entire settlement was surrounded by a 10-foot-tall palisade. The base was reinforced with two rows of spikes, all driven into the dirt and pointing outward at an angle. The gate was ahead of us.
There were platforms at both sides, with a couple of sentries. As we approached at full speed, the gate swung shut, and several more villagers appeared over the edge of the wall.
“Slow down!” I called to my team. “They’ll need time to recognize us before we get there.”
We slowed almost to a crawl. I glanced over my shoulder and searched the distance for any sign of Skrew. When I found none, I sighed in relief. We’d have a chance to warn them of his approach long before he got here.
“It’s Jacob!” someone on the wall said. The gate swung open, and we steered our hoverbikes inside.
A dozen Ish-Nul approached and slapped me on the back. When they turned to Nyna, however, they changed completely. They turned serious, stared at the ground near her feet, and bowed.
“It is good to have the priestess back,” they whispered, one at a time.
Yaltu and I glanced at each other in confusion and waited until the rest of the rest of the village paid their respects to Nyna and left. The streets were clear, and there were only three people left outside: the sentries I’d seen earlier.
“That was strange,” Yaltu said.
“It’s how they treat me,” Nyna said with a shrug. “They think I’ll blow up or curse the village or something if they get too close or look at me. I’ve never hurt them. I’d never do that. But they don’t understand what I do. It’s just the way things are. It’s my place in the world.”
Reaver gave her a quick hug, then went to move the hoverbikes out of the way.
I noticed Nyna’s expression and slouch, the way she looked to the ground in front of her. She was lonely.
“I get sad once in a while,” she said when she noticed me lingering. “Especially when something good happens in the village—like when they bring in a big kill, there’s plenty of food, but I have to eat alone. I usually just come to the village, pick up what they leave me outside the Great Hall, and bring it back to the
